Academic 3 is a new 20-storey landmark compound built in the centre of the City University of Hong Kong with a total floor area of 37,300 square meters. It comprises of classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, multi-function rooms, common areas, administrative offices, a 600-seat lecture theatre, a canteen, and a roof garden. It forms the Connector between sectors of the campus and offers an innovative Green Heartland in an urban university. The City University of Hong Kong required a new teaching and administration building in its Kowloon campus to accommodate its expanding intake of students in light of the new education structure. Four key principles drove the architect’s design solution, which took the site’s location and height restriction parameters into consideration: forming a strong connection between the remote dormitory sector uphill and the campus centre downhill, erecting a level green deck across the sloping site to recover the existing greenery, creating a green icon embedding sustainable design against the backdrop of Lion Rock, enhancing permeability and the natural environment at street level by elevating the ground plane. More than just functional facilities, Academic 3 is an iconic landmark for university students and staff, with vastly improved public amenities and circulation. It adds a new and prominent ‘green heartland’ to the campus in this high-density community.