Campus
The geography, architecture and ecology of the seaview Clear Water Bay campus, plus the traditions of its residential colleges/halls.
05 Campus Geography · Architecture · Ecology
6 articlesCampus geography, a directory of buildings, transport facilities, sustainability, and museums & ecology.
Location and Campus Layout — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
HKUST's Clear Water Bay campus covers about 60 hectares, on a site at Tai Po Tsai originally earmarked in the 1980s for a planned British barracks, Kohima Camp. The garrison plan was shelved after the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration; in 1986–87 the land hosted a Scout jamboree, and in 1987 the runner-up entry in a design competition, by Simon Kwan & Associates with Percy Thomas Partnership, was appointed to master-plan the campus on the hillside's natural terraces. Prince Charles laid the foundation stone in 1989, and the University opened in 1991.
Landmarks & Public Art — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
A combined record of HKUST's campus landmarks and public art: the 8.5-metre Red Bird Sundial "Circle of Time" at the entrance plaza (installed 1991, commissioned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club from the Walsh-Smiths, with 39 ancient Chinese technological achievements carved on its relief), the armillary sphere replica, the Central Piazza and Atrium, the Shaw Auditorium, and the donation backgrounds and design details of the Lee Shau Kee, Cheng Yu Tung and Martin Ka Shing Lee named buildings.
Transport and Campus Facilities — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
HKUST's Clear Water Bay campus sits on a hillside with no direct MTR access, relying mainly on KMB routes 91/91M and green minibuses 11/11M to link Choi Hung and Hang Hau stations; the Lee Shau Kee Library has operated since the University opened in 1991 and was expanded into a Learning Commons in 2011–12; sports facilities range from the Fok Ying Tung Sports Centre to the Water Sports Center established in 2013; the canteens are centred on LG7 and LG1, and undergraduate housing stretches from the nine UG Halls to the Jockey Club Hall in Tseung Kwan O and the i-Village opened in 2026.
A Green Campus, Ecological Heritage and a History of Expansion — HKUST
HKUST has used Clear Water Bay seawater as the heat-exchange medium for its central cooling system since its founding, expanding it into a district cooling system in 2013–2015 and winning the 2016 Asia-Pacific energy award. Since 2019 the University has systematically advanced its "Sustainable Smart Campus" initiative, setting a 2045 net-zero target and covering solar power, biodiversity conservation and recent projects such as the Medical Education and Research Complex and the Jockey Club i-Village.
Seawater Cooling and the Central Chiller Plant — The "Natural Air Conditioner" of HKUST's Seaside Campus
HKUST has used Clear Water Bay seawater for central cooling heat exchange since opening in 1991; the 2013–2015 remodelling of the central chiller plant into a district cooling system won the 2016 Asia-Pacific energy award, with the Cheng Yu Tung Building saving 20–35% of energy annually; in recent years four cooling towers were added on the library roof and their bleed-off water is reused for toilet flushing. This page verifies the engineering history and the numbers.
The Red Bird Sundial "Circle of Time" — HKUST's First Icon, Standing in the Entrance Piazza Since 1991
An 8.5-metre steel sundial named "Circle of Time", commissioned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and created by the Walsh-Smiths, was installed in HKUST's Entrance Piazza on 8 October 1991. Its base bears a relief of 39 achievements of ancient Chinese science and technology. It later became HKUST's foremost brand symbol, nicknamed 「火雞」 by students.
10 Colleges / Residential Colleges · Halls · General Education
4 articlesThe history, character and traditions of the residential colleges and hall culture.
Student Residence System — An Overview of HKUST's Hall Structure
An overview of HKUST's hall system — run centrally by the SHRL rather than through colleges: the building timeline from the 1991 Seafront halls to the 2026 i-Village, the capacity and room types of UG Halls I–XIII and the postgraduate halls, the Hall Education Team support structure, and a comparison with CUHK's college system.
Jockey Club Hall at Tseung Kwan O — The “Tenth Hall” Off Campus
The Jockey Club Hall at Tseung Kwan O, with nine floors and 512 places, helps ease HKUST’s hall‑place shortage; formally opened on 16 February 2017 by President Tony F. Chan and a Jockey Club representative. It must be distinguished from the Zaha Hadid‑designed Jockey Club i‑Village and from the OCHS off‑campus housing support service.
The Three Postgraduate Halls: The "Invisible Majority" of University Apartments, SKCC and GGT
HKUST's postgraduate housing consists of three halls — University Apartments (895), SKCC (120) and the Jockey Club Global Graduate Tower (504) — with monthly rents of roughly HK$3,000–6,900; a 16.6% bed shortfall is projected for 2026–27, for which the University has fielded 200 off-campus beds at Sunny House as a stopgap, even as these halls carry the daily housing of well over 70% of the University's non-local students.
HKUST Hall Fees in Practice: Full-year Costs at the Nine Halls and How the Hall Point System Works
HKUST's nine undergraduate halls at Clear Water Bay (UG Hall I–IX, about 4,544 bed spaces in total) allocate beds through a four-part hall point system; local and non-local students each have a 100-point cap but different weightings, and scores determine priority. UG Halls I–V each have a House Students' Association (HSA), the heart of hall culture. The opening of the Jockey Club i-Village (UG Hall X–XIII, 1,551 bed spaces) in 2026 has eased pressure, but some housing guarantees narrowed from 2026–27.