Department of Architecture

 

Academic Staff   |   Undergraduate programme  |  Masters programme  |  PhD programme | Admissions

 

New Application Guidelines and FAQ relating to the Application Process  for the BEng in Architecture 2013 are out now! Please see information on Undergraduate Admissions .

 

XLarch offers English language architecture programmes in China at the undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels. Students earn University of Liverpool degrees at competitive rates in a dynamic learning environment.

 

Welcome

XLarch is the department of architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), a young and independent English-language Sino-British university in the greater Shanghai area. XJTLU brings together traditions and opportunities from the East and the West on a vibrant, fast-growing campus with world-class facilities. XJTLU's home is the historic city of Suzhou (also called the "Venice of the East"), whose traditional gardens are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city boasts one of China's flagship development projects, a new town called Suzhou Industrial Park, from which XJTLU operates along with already more than 15 other universities and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. Located in one of the most dynamic regions of the world, the staff and students of XLarch engage the great potential and the complexities of the intersections of the East and the West.

XLarch cultivates a learning environment that fosters independent, innovative and socially aware designers with a thoughtful and imaginative approach to human-made environments. XJTLU’s strategic focus on internationalisation and synergy with the University of Liverpool leads XLarch to also recruit from overseas, ensuring a diverse mix of approaches to the field of architecture. XLarch students benefit from the department's dynamic atmosphere. They engage the vibrant architecture and construction context of Suzhou and the wider region as well as live projects, competitions, academic institutions and events. XLarch graduates find excellent opportunities for professional employment and for further education both locally and internationally.

XLarch educators have backgrounds in over 20 countries and are actively engaged in research and design, with international publication records, excellent practice portfolios and accomplishments in positions of leadership. This mix brings together a wide range of social and artistic sensitivities, careful dedication to quality, professional integrity and academic rigour.

 

 

Curriculum

XLarch offers high quality architectural education at the undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels.

The four-year BEng Architecture undergraduate programme is centred on applied architectural design studio modules in combination with humanistic and technical modules. XLarch is seeking professional accreditation of this programme by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA Part I). Students have the option to study the first two years at XLarch and the last two years at the University in Liverpool in the UK. Graduates of this programme receive degree certificates from both XJTLU and from the University of Liverpool.

Beginning in 2013, XLarch’s two-year MArch(Des) Masters programme extends undergraduate architectural education at the graduate level with a continued focus on architectural studio design as well as on humanistic and technical modules in preparation of either professional practice or PhD-level studies. XLarch is seeking professional accreditation of this programme by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA Part II). Graduates of this programme will receive a Masters degree certificate from the University of Liverpool.

XLarch welcomes proposals for its research-based PhD programme. Potential candidates are invited to position their PhD research proposals in one or more of the department’s areas of strength:

  • architectural design and architectural studio education
  • architectural, environmental or construction science and technology
  • computer-aided architectural design
  • architectural history and built heritage studies
  • social and cultural study of the built environment

 

Graduates of this programme will receive a PhD degree certificate from the University of Liverpool.

 

 

Vision

XLarch is establishing itself as a leading contributor to:

  • human-centred development of the built environment
  • a culture of intellectual exploration and innovative speculation
  • cross-cultural education that fosters creative, critical, sophisticated and responsible thought
  • the education of the next generation of creative thinkers –at home and abroad –to create desirable places to live, work and enjoy

 

Mission

 

XLarch is establishing itself as a centre of excellence in architectural education, design and research and a leading architectural voice in China. 

 

 

Resources

  • students and staff with high ambitions
  • international  experience in a fast-developing Chinese context
  • leading UK and Chinese partner institutions
  • a diverse mix of strong and international staff
  • excellent campus and facilities
  • Suzhou: a historical and contemporary city with a high quality of living

 

Strengths

  • independent and critical thinking
  • social concerns in rapidly developing contexts
  • creative and innovative design thinking
  • concern for the future, based on contemporary approaches to heritage
  • integration of architectural design with academic research
  • pedagogical agility
  • a passion for technical speculation

 

 

Values

XLarch is an international department of architecture of a not-for-profit university, which

  • promotes architecture which provides functional integrity, structural stability and delight
  • fosters humanistic design and universalism
  • develops innovative integrations of research and design
  • understands design as a process of exploration, negotiation and resolution
  • encourages interdisciplinary research and design across the built environment and beyond
  • cultivates proficiency of analogue and digital media
  • encourages open-ended speculation and risk-taking
  • explores the possible from what seems impossible
  • ensures academic rigour and integrity
  • promotes architectural integrity
  • maintains professional standards

 

 

XLarch Department of Architecture

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

111 Ren’ai Road • SIP Higher Education Town

215123 Suzhou, China

 

Admissions: http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions.html

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