Tree of Life
The Living Building is a self-sustaining building that draws resources from nature, including water, electricity, food, etc. and converts the waste generated by human activities in the building into reusable resources, offering a fresh perspective on the relationship between the environment and human. The Living Building emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of people, buildings, and nature, which resembles a beautiful and vibrant flower, and can be translated into "Living Building". The Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States has introduced the concept of Living Buildings to China and hopes to mirror it on the GTSI campus by leveraging the successful experience from its Atlanta campus.
The Student Center will be the first Living Building at GTSI and in China. Its design was inspired by the traditional Qilou design commonly found in Southern China's traditional Lingnan architecture, intended to preserve as much of the original terrain and forestry as possible and seamlessly integrate with the surrounding mountains. The silouette of the Student Center is an inspiration from the existing lychee forest on the site, with seventeen tree-shaped umbrella columns arranged at different heights, providing shade, insulation, solar power generation, rainwater collection, and other functions. The entire building will be constructed in line with the standards of the Living Building Challenge 4.0, hence named "Tree of Life".
The Student Center
The Student Center has a total building area of approximately 3,380 square meters (36,382 square feet), covering an area of approximately 4,560 square meters (49,083 square feet). It is 22.7 meters (74.48 feet) tall, and has three floors. The first floor consists of an open public area comprising outdoor plazas and urban agricultural planting space. The second floor houses an exhibition hall, conference rooms, and activity rooms, among other facilities. The third floor features multifunctional classrooms and terrace planting areas. The center aims to utilize the platform of a Living Building as a carrier to provide education and related exhibitions in sustainable development.
The Metaphor of "Petals"
Living Building Challenge includes certification in 7 categories, also known as "petals". The 7 petals are: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty.
A certified Living Building, akin to a beautiful flower, is sustained by nature, from which it buds and blossoms. Its fruit becomes a seed and is sown back into nature to grow new flowers. For the Student Center, this "fruit" symbolizes each person who finds their inspiration here, whether they are students attending classes, visitors, or passing pedestrians. They go on to plant their own new "seeds", spreading the sustainable development philosophy promoted by the Student Center and bringing a fresh and creative outlook to the outside community.