EWHA University by DPA

— It’s either a cool building with an incredible landscape, or a beautiful landscape with an ace building attached. Regardless, it’s inspiration in physical form.

The EWHA Women’s University is located in Seoul, Korea and is the world’s largest female educational institute. Designed by French architecture firm, Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA), the EWHA is equal parts building and landscape. The landscaped features create new public spaces and new walkways, seamlessly connecting the university campus with the city and vice versa.

This spirit of connectivity is further enhanced by the campus valley, a central, dipping public space which begins as a gradual transition downwards at one end and culminates in wonderfully majestic staircase/seating area.

The classrooms and such are located beneath the two landscaped portions of the building, almost hiding in a sense from the larger city and creating a sanctuary of higher learning. I’ve always contended that inspired school design will directly enhance the capability of the students in attendance. Although the EWHA University is for women only and I finished grad school two years ago–I don’t care, I’m sending them my application.