Mission and vision

Mission and vision

MISSION:

Research and knowledge exchange

Work with enterprises, investors, and entrepreneurs to assess novel architectural design concepts. Partner with key industry players in the research, design, development, and commercialisation of architectural and design technologies.

Partnerships and collaboration

Network within and beyond XJTLU to support the research and educational mission of the department and the Design School, and the affiliated School of Film and TV Arts.

Business engagement

Broaden participation in innovation activities to Suzhou and beyond through providing inventors, entrepreneurs, and enterprises with the design tools and services for mutual benefit.

Student experience

Prepare students to become future architects and designers as companies both shift to designed-in-China strategies and seek to design for the growing Chinese market.

Curriculum development and innovation

Mentor students from undergraduate to Ph.D. levels to become the entrepreneurial and educational leaders of tomorrow.

VISION:

The vision of the Department of Architecture is to shape the future with creativity, technical competence, and a passion for design and innovation. We promote a holistic and systematic approach to architecture and design, with no one specialisation privileged over another.

As a community of individuals coming from many different countries and backgrounds, our Chinese context provides a productive platform from which to develop new research and innovative pedagogies for future architects and designers, based on a critical dialogue between Chinese and Western knowledge traditions.

Research-led teaching is central to our vision. Beyond the traditional limits of research and practical education, we seek answers on critical questions of sustainability by formulating innovative responses through creative cross-disciplinary approaches aided by a wide range of technologies.

Our educational focus rests on certain fundamental principles of education and design development:

  • aesthetic sensitivity
  • human-oriented responsibility
  • technological and engineering competence
  • user research on social, cultural, and economic awareness
  • enabling people and communities to live desirable futures.

It is the commitment to these principles that will help expand XJTLU’s cultural influence both throughout greater China and around the world.