Located on a semi-rural hillside on the outskirts of the city of Yantai in north-eastern China, the university was to be developed over a period of five years.

The competition entry was prepared within three weeks with the preparation of masterplans and building designs proceeding from a short briefing process with the client and university. The design hinged on a pair of central plaza spaces used to organise the public and academic buildings of the university. Sports facilities and landscaping provided a picturesque foreground to the central buildings, with student accommodation buildings nestling in the hillside beyond.