University of Reading, Malaysia
Johor, Malaysia
| Title: | University of Reading, Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia |
| Markets: | Education |
| Client: | University of Reading |
| Services: | Landscape architecture |
| Region: | Asia Pacific and Australasia |
| Date: | 2013 |
The University of Reading is already a global university, so an intelligent and vibrant public realm was integral to furthering its global commitment. Gillespies developed a new masterplan and public realm for an innovative new campus at EduCity, Nusajaya, at the south-western tip of Peninsular Malaysia.
EduCity will become a regional education hub and a destination for approximately 2000 students, providing new world-class facilities for Law, Business and Built Environment faculties as well as Language and Chemistry and Pharmacy departments. The development will also provide a new Learning Resource Centre.
The design of the 600‑acre landscape is based around the concept of “the Reading Experience,” grouping the departments around a covered “heart space” with a tempered semi‑external environment, the edges between internal and external, light and shade, formal and informal, social and learning, student and staff.
The public realm connects EduCity with EduPark, reinforcing the concept of blurring the boundaries between the buildings and landscapes, linking education with nature. The landscape concept will set a benchmark for educational campus design covering all aspects of the public realm including paving, trees, shrub planting, street furniture, lighting and sustainable drainage features. Collectively, these elements will contribute strongly to students’, staff and visitors’ perceptions and experiences of the University, and will be a key element in the success of the campus in the future.
