Long Bin Building, a brand new building housing the University of Michigan – Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI), was officially put into use in a grand opening ceremony held on May 24.
Sixian Jiang, SJTU Party Secretary, Zhongqin Lin, SJTU President, Shengwu Xie, Former SJTU President, Xuemin Xu, SJTU
Vice President, Mark Schlissel, UM President, Jack Hu, UM Vice President, John Wu, FengHe Group Founder and Chairman, his wife Jane Sun, Ctrip CEO, Xilong Wu and Zhebin Yu, professors from SJTU Physics and Astronomy Department, Jun Ni, JI Honorary Dean, Peisen Huang, JI Dean, Xinwan Li, JI Party Secretary, had a group photo together at the opening ceremony.
Bearing the “student-centered” philosophy, the new building received a “Magnolia Award” from the Shanghai government right after its completion a few months ago. The award is widely known as a highest honor in the construction industry.
Inside the Long Bing Building
Set to meet the growing needs of research and learning, Long Bin Building incorporated trendy concepts such as “inheritance”, “environmental protection”, and “home for students”. Stepping into the building, the six-meter-tall lobby and the five-meter-wide stairs ahead make the whole place look open and free. Students don’t have to find a room to have a brainstorm session as they can just sit at a seat lining along the stairs leading to the third floor. The planned “Smart Connected Systems Joint Research Center on the second floor has a space of two thousand square meters with more than ten research labs and centers, providing unlimited possibilities for students’ creative activities.
“Yu Liming Student Center” on the third floor
JI auditorium on the third floor
The third floor of the building is served as the “home for students” where students can settle their learning activities conveniently. Touch screens with “Cloud Platforms,” are placed on the walls near main entrances for students to plan their study areas and activities. Here the students can find a number of centers and offices providing various kinds of services, including Advising & Learning Center, Student Center, Center for Entrepreneurship, Writing Center, Interdisciplinary Education Center, Auditorium, teaching labs offices of education and student affairs. For example,at the Writing Center, students can receive training from professionals to improve their academic writing skills. In the discussion rooms, the touch screen TVs and projectors can provide students easy communication with long-distance audiences. More “student-centered” spaces are being planned on the floor, such as a pressure-releasing room for students in need of psychological assistance, according to Scott Yang, JI Deputy Party Secretary and Director of the Division of Academic Affairs.
Atrium Square on the fourth floor
The Atrium Square located at the center of the building on the fourth floor is a place for rests. Students can come here for a casual walk in the morning or appreciation of the stars and the moon at night. There is also a roof garden above the fifth floor, creating a green environment for students.
External view of Long Bin Building
Covering a total area of 32,000 square meters, the newly-built JI building is located at the junction of East Nan Yang Road and Lian Wu Road on the eastern Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The foundation stone for the new building was laid in April 2014, and construction was completed in December 2017. Shanghai Jiao Tong University named the building “Long Bin Building” in honor of its alumnus John Wu and his wife Jane Sun in appreciation of their support to the development of JI. The building integrating the functions of teaching and learning, scientific research, administration and student activities, is bound to provide a space guarantee for the future development of JI.
