16 Jun 2025
In an era characterised by the accelerated urbanisation process, the escalating climate change crisis, and the global sweep of technological waves, the architecture field is facing multiple pressures, including the shortage of spatial resources, the disruption of ecological balance, and technological iteration. How to balance functional requirements, humanistic values, and environmental sustainability in the context of rapid development has become an urgent contemporary proposition to be addressed in architectural practice.
The Grad Show 2025 of the Department of Architecture at the Design School of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) takes “Inclusivity & Integration” as its theme. Upholding the core concepts of “coexistence through inclusion” and “reconstruction through integration”, the exhibition explores dimensions such as urban regeneration, adaptation to extreme environments, and the integration of technology and humanism. It presents architecture’s dual attributes as both a spatial container and a social medium. Through the interweaving of technical rationality and humanistic care, the exhibition seeks to outline a sustainable vision of harmonious co-prosperity between humans and the environment, as well as between tradition and the future.
The exhibition collects work from more than 80 undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Department of Architecture at XJTLU, and is open from 12 to 29 June at Jinhood, Suzhou.
On 12 June, Professor Marc Aurel Schnabel, Dean of XJTLU Design School; Shimin Yang, Vice General Manager of Suzhou Ancient City Investment & Construction Limited Company, Suzhou Historic City Group; Dr Davide Lombardi, Head of XJTLU Department of Architecture; as well as other faculty and students from XJTLU Department of Architecture attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
Professor Schnabel said that the theme of the grad show is highly relevant and timely in today's context.
“Inclusivity and integration are important topics for all of us, and an inclusive environment benefits everyone. The architecture industry is at an interesting crossroads, and we need to consider how to give a city unique value for its residents.
“I am very proud of this exhibition and delighted that the Design School can use it to foster deeper connections with the local community,” he said.
Mr Shimin Yang mentioned that Suzhou Ancient City Investment & Construction Limited Company specialises in ancient city development and conservation, with its core businesses focusing on the restoration of cultural heritage buildings and the development of historical districts, and Jinhood is one of its urban conservation and renewal projects.
“We are very delighted to see XJTLU exhibiting these outstanding student works here. It shows the professionalism of XJTLU architecture students, and allows practitioners as well as the general public to take a greater interest in urban renewal and conservation, and make positive contributions,” he said.
Dr Davide Lombardi highlighted three keywords - history, technology, and communication. He encouraged students to learn from the past, embrace the latest tools, and engage with diverse stakeholders, as architecture is inherently collaborative.
This exhibition showcases graduate final year project “Reinvigorating Singapore’s Greater Southern Waterfront”; undergraduate final year projects including “The Intelligence of Space_Ephemeral architecture”, “Architecture for & of Intelligence”, “Building Thresholds”, “Architecture and Compassion”, “Living without water: the Other Side of the Climate Changes”, “Spatial Curation with Cultural Infrastructure for Jiangnan”, “Moon Village”, and “Parallel Codes”; and undergraduate first-year project “Layers of Existence”.
Jue Qiu is one of the curators of the exhibition, who’s also an Assistant Professor from XJTLU’s Department of Architecture and the Director of XJTLU Design Research Center (DRC). He said that the exhibition aims to share XJTLU’s outstanding teaching achievements with the public, and that this is the second time that XJTLU has held an exhibition in Jinhood.
“I hope that the grad show can be a window for our students’ works to reach the general public, and also become an opportunity for them to prepare entering the society in the future,” he said.
In addition to Jue Qiu, the curators of this exhibition include Jiangyang Zhao, Mia Tedjosaputro, and Ines Essen from the XJTLU’s Department of Architecture, with technical support from XJTLU Fab Lab and Jian Chen.
By Yi Qian
Photos by Yi Qian
16 Jun 2025