XJTLU Architecture

XJTLU Architecture XLarch's home is the historic city of Suzhou (also called "Venice of the East"), whose classical gardens are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

XLarch is a part of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, a young and independent Sino-British university in the greater Shanghai area that brings together traditions and opportunities from the East and the West on a vibrant, fast-growing campus with world-class facilities. The city boasts one of China's flagship development projects, the Suzhou Industrial Park, from which XLarch as well as already

more than 100 Fortune 500 companies operate. XLarch is driven by a unique vision and by unique values, setting itself a unique mission and harnessing unique opportunities. Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Department of Architecture (XLarch) is a new and exciting architectural department with high ambitions. Combining East and West, it strives to provide the best of both perspectives in architectural design, appreciation and critique. XLarch cultivates a learning environment that fosters independent, innovative and responsible designers with a thoughtful and imaginative approach to space making. Operating in the English language, XLarch students are recruited from amongst the top 5% of Chinese creative thinkers. Synergy with Liverpool University leadsXLarch to also recruit from overseas, ensuring a diverse mix of approaches to the subject. XLarch students benefit from the Department's dynamic atmosphere, which constantly engages the vibrant architecture and construction context of Suzhou and the wider region, live projects, competitions, academic institutions and events. XLarch graduates find excellent opportunities for professional employment and for further education both locally and internationally. XLarch teachers 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.

EAST Design Show 2026Between Veils: An Atmosphere of DesireLocation: Canton Fair Complex, Guangzhou, ChinaDates: 18–21 M...
10/04/2026

EAST Design Show 2026
Between Veils: An Atmosphere of Desire
Location: Canton Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
Dates: 18–21 March 2026

The Department of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University presents Between Veils – An Atmosphere of Desire at the EAST Design Show 2026 in Guangzhou, curated by Sandro Rolla and Jingyang (Leo) Liu, presenting works by Inès Consuela Essen and Jiashi (Jess) Yu. The exhibition situates architectural thinking within a broader design ecosystem, hosted by the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF), a global expo platform spanning over 850,000 square metres, with more than 380,000 audience. Within this expansive context, the project offers something quieter: a space to slow down, to look again, and to feel how design can shape not only objects, but experience itself.
Conceived as a compact architectural experiment, the 6 × 6 metre installation transforms the exhibition booth into a layered field of perception. Semi-transparent textile veils define a sequence of soft thresholds, which allows visitors to move through shifting conditions of light, depth, and visibility. The space unfolds gradually rather than presenting itself all at once, inviting a slower and more attentive engagement. Suspended works appear as floating presences, partially visible, never fully fixed, this setup encourages visitors to perceive art objects, and meanwhile, the relationships between them, the filtered light, and the surrounding atmosphere.
The works presented extend across material experimentation, spatial narrative, and visual speculation. Essen’s practice explores “emptiness” as a cultural and spatial condition through natural-dyed textile installations, ceramic series, paper-cut compositions, and large scale photography prints that merge craft, perception, and architectural thinking. Yu’s work, by contrast, engages speculative architectural futures through narrative drawing and collage, imagining transformed urban landscapes shaped by climate, memory, and fiction. Their works do not stand alone; they are placed in relation to one another, forming a quiet conversation across mediums and ideas.
Between Veils positions architecture as an active framework for organizing relationships, between art and design, between material and perception, and between body and space. In contrast to the scale and intensity of the surrounding fair, the installation proposes a quieter, atmospheric condition: one that invites visitors to slow down, move attentively, and rediscover the subtle interplay of light, material, and spatial experience.

THE LINE | 2026The Line as an Exploration of Meeting – organized and lead by Ines Consuela EssenA line has a beginning a...
03/04/2026

THE LINE | 2026
The Line as an Exploration of Meeting – organized and lead by Ines Consuela Essen

A line has a beginning and an end, a left and a right. It suggests direction, separation, and structure. And yet, when we step onto it, it becomes something else: a shared space.

The line is a threshold — a place between positions, between identities, between intentions. It is a neutral field, a space of nonduality, where distinctions can soften, and new relations can emerge.

In this project, we meet on the line not to define, but to experience. The line becomes a container - not for performance in the traditional sense, but for encounter. It holds tension, proximity, distance, rhythm, and interruption. It invites awareness of self and other, of impulse and response.

Participants are encouraged to explore:
• the line as boundary and connection
• the line as structure and freedom
• the line as a site of tension, play, and transformation

Rather than seeking an outcome, The Line asks for attention.
A simple form.
A shared space.
A moment of alignment - or divergence.

The activity was hosted by XJTLU Architecture Department, as a contribution to The Stage – a special activity week within ARC102, Small Scale Architectural Design - course coordinator: Sandro Rolla.

📸📸 Swipe to see the choreography of space

THE HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR GARDEN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPInspired by "paradise on earth" in Suzhou and Hangzhou, this works...
16/01/2026

THE HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR GARDEN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

Inspired by "paradise on earth" in Suzhou and Hangzhou, this workshop was a partnership between Italy's Accademia Adrianea and XJTLU's Sino-Italian Urban Regeneration HUB. Hosted in Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden, it fostered East-West architectural dialogue. A key achievement was incorporating Suzhou's gardens into the Adrianea Academy’s Master’s programme alongside sites like Villa Adriana, highlighting a joint dedication to heritage education. Collaborative sessions blended traditional Chinese materials with modern design, yielding sustainable proposals that exemplify cross-cultural exchange.

Chairs
Roberto Podda, Alessandro Cece, Juan Carlos Dall’Asta

Workshop Students
Group 1
Aldeni Leonardo (Accademia Adrianea), Alloni Alessandro (Accademia Adrianea), Ballato Tea (Accademia Adrianea), Bau' Lorenzo (Accademia Adrianea), Mossini Martina (Accademia Adrianea), Chengwei Kou (XJTLU UPD)

Group 2
Franco Gloria (Accademia Adrianea), Fronte Dalia (Accademia Adrianea), Iannazzo Paola (Accademia Adrianea), Parzani Francesca Maria (Accademia Adrianea), Petrean Francesca Teresa (Accademia Adrianea), Tonon Alessandra Catherine (Accademia Adrianea)

Group 3
Ravaglioli Giulia (Accademia Adrianea), Bacchetta Anna (Accademia Adrianea), Verpelli Chiara (Accademia Adrianea), Zane Federica (Accademia Adrianea), Ningyu Zhang (XJTLU ARC)

Group 4
Maiolica Martina (Accademia Adrianea), Balbo Ginevra (Accademia Adrianea), Grandi Matilde (Accademia Adrianea),
De Cesaris Alessandro (Accademia Adrianea), Xinling Lyu (XJTLU CEN),Livia Schöpfer (XJTLU UPD)

Group 5
Dumitrescu Andreea-Maria (Accademia Adrianea), Sălăgeanu Ana (Accademia Adrianea), Blejan Miruna (Accademia Adrianea), Galuffo Anita (University of Palermo), Leone Ginevra (University of Palermo), Malicca Asha Liangga (XJTLU ARC)

THE HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR GARDEN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPThe beginning of 2026 was marked by a significant milestone in Sin...
16/01/2026

THE HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR GARDEN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

The beginning of 2026 was marked by a significant milestone in Sino-Italian cultural and academic collaboration: the inaugural ”Humble Administrator Garden International Workshop.“ Hosted from January 3rd to 10th at the Department of Architecture, Design School of Xi‘an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in Suzhou (co-organised by Accademia Adrianea), the event brought together over 40 international participants —including professors, lecturers, and students—in a vibrant cross-cultural exchange. The workshop culminated in the awarding of several prizes for outstanding collaborative work, including the prestigious XJTLU SIURH Sino-Italian Urban Regeneration HUB Award, celebrating projects that best embodied the spirit of bilateral innovation.
This pioneering initiative stands as a testament to the power of international partnership, inspiring a new generation of architects and meaningfully contributing to global discourse on heritage, innovation, and the creation of meaningful spaces for future societies.

Institutions
Accademia Adrianea di Architettura e Archeologia Onlus, Italy
Premio Piranesi Prix de Rome, Italy
Xi‘an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Sino-Italian Urban Regeneration HUB (SIURH), XJTLU, China
XJTLU Design School, Department of Architecture, China

Chairs
Roberto Podda, Alessandro Cece, Juan Carlos Dall’Asta

Teaching Team
Roberto Podda, Alessandro Cece, Juan Carlos Dall’Asta, Yiping D**g, Manfredi Leone, Jose Remón, Jingyang Liu, Yusu Chu

Lecturers
Paolo Vincenzo Genovese, Lian Tang, Manfredi Leone, Yiping D**g

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final ReviewARC405 (MArch Des Year 1)Rewriting the Ground: Architecture and Landscape f...
15/12/2025

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final Review

ARC405 (MArch Des Year 1)
Rewriting the Ground: Architecture and Landscape from the Memory of the Site
Module Leader: Sandro Rolla

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final ReviewARC305 (BEng Architecture Year 4)The Inner Gaze: Sacred Spaces of Spiritual...
15/12/2025

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final Review

ARC305 (BEng Architecture Year 4)
The Inner Gaze: Sacred Spaces of Spiritual Healing
Module Leader: Gergely Csikvari

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final ReviewARC205 (B Eng Architecture Year 3)Anfu Lab: Assembling the CommonsModule Le...
15/12/2025

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final Review

ARC205 (B Eng Architecture Year 3)
Anfu Lab: Assembling the Commons
Module Leader: Teo Hidalgo Nacher

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final ReviewARC413 (MArch Des Year2)Limes, Limen (Boundary, Threshold): Rethinking Barc...
15/12/2025

XJTLU Architecture Design Studio Final Review

ARC413 (MArch Des Year2)
Limes, Limen (Boundary, Threshold): Rethinking Barcelona's Limits
Module Leader: Lei Feng

Sunset SoundScapes: An Evening of Music, Community, and Celebration at XJTLU As the semester drew to a close, the Design...
11/12/2025

Sunset SoundScapes:
An Evening of Music, Community, and Celebration at XJTLU

As the semester drew to a close, the Design School brought the XJTLU community together for a reflective and celebratory moment. On 5 December, the Sunset SoundScapes musical cantata offered students and staff a meaningful pause to unwind, recognise shared achievements, and encourage one another after an intensive academic period.
Hosted by the Department of Architecture, the event transformed the Design Building’s ground-floor atrium into a warm and vibrant performance space. The atrium quickly filled with an enthusiastic audience throughout the evening. In addition to those present, the event drew strong online engagement, with almost 500 viewers joining the live broadcast on Rednote, extending the celebration to an even wider community.
The programme featured an impressive lineup of performances by XJTLU students and faculty members from across the University, including those from the Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, Industrial Design, IBSS, School of Science, and School of Advanced Technology. A diverse range of piano, ukulele, guitar, and vocal pieces highlighted the interdisciplinary creativity and multicultural character of XJTLU. Each performance brought a unique expression of talent, contributing to an atmosphere that was both uplifting and deeply engaging.
After the formal programme, attendees gathered for a relaxed social time with refreshments, conversations, and photos. The evening extended its harmony beyond the music itself, fostering connections across schools and strengthening appreciation for the artistic talents within the University, closing the semester on a heartfelt and memorable note.
The first Sunset SoundScapes was warmly received, creating a meaningful end-of-semester celebration and setting a promising foundation for future editions.

Emotive Motion:Tech Ballet for Self-Portrait ExpressionExploring Emotion, Movement, and Design through the BodyOrganiser...
07/11/2025

Emotive Motion:
Tech Ballet for Self-Portrait Expression
Exploring Emotion, Movement, and Design through the Body

Organiser: MinJoo Baek (ARC)
Module: DES003 - Principles of Design
Project: Self Portrait - Expression of Emotion through the Body

As part of DES003: Principles of Design, the Self Portrait project invites students to explore how design can convey emotion and identity. The Emotive Motion workshop offers an opportunity to enhance expressive capacity through body movement and performative exploration, encouraging students to connect emotion, gesture, and spatial awareness in their creative process.
This workshop introduces ballet-inspired techniques to help students express emotions more dynamically and authentically. By engaging the body as an extension of thought and feeling, participants will learn to transform internal emotions into visible forms — discovering how movement itself can become a design language.
Led by professional ballet mentor Kaili Mao, the session guides students through structured movement exercises that link posture, rhythm, and emotional intention. The embodied understanding developed through this practice will enrich each student’s Self Portrait project, fostering deeper sensitivity toward emotion, identity, and form.
This expressive and dynamic session is open to all Year 1 Design students, offering a valuable opportunity to enhance confidence, sensitivity, and self-expression through the body.

BDA Ballet Mentor | Principal Tutor, YA Ballet
Born in Soochow and a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy (Ballet and Dance Choreography Department), Kaili Mao has trained with YA Ballet since childhood and later joined the prestigious China YuanD**g Ballet School. She has performed in both classical and contemporary repertoires and is now a BDA-certified ballet mentor and principal tutor at YA Ballet. Her teaching blends discipline, precision, and emotional fluidity, guiding participants to understand the body as an instrument of design and expression.

XJTLU ARC301 GUEST LECTURE 2025LECTURE TITLE:PLANETARY INTELLIGENCE 5:30 PM, Friday, 14th NovemberDBG19, SIP Campus, XJT...
07/11/2025

XJTLU ARC301 GUEST LECTURE 2025

LECTURE TITLE:
PLANETARY INTELLIGENCE

5:30 PM, Friday, 14th November
DBG19, SIP Campus, XJTLU

Dr. Theodore Spyropoulos

Architectural Association Design Research Laboratory (AADRL) /Director
Minimaforms /Director
Somerset House /Resident Artist

Theodore Spyropoulos is an architect and educator. He is the Director of the Architectural Association’s world-renowned Design Research Lab (AADRL) in London and a resident artist at Somerset House. He previously chaired the AA Graduate School and was a Professor of Architecture at the Staedelschule in Frankfurt and a visiting Research Fellow at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies. He co-founded the experimental art, architecture, and design practice Minimaforms with Stephen Spyropoulos. The work of Minimaforms has been acquired by international art and architecture collections, including the FRAC Centre, the Signum Foundation, and the M+ Archigram Archive. His work has been exhibited at MOMA (NYC), the Barbican Centre, the Onassis Cultural Centre, Somerset House, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, and the ICA. He previously worked for the offices of Peter Eisenman and Zaha Hadid. In 2013, the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture awarded him the ACADIA Award of Excellence for his educational work directing the AADRL. He has been published internationally and is the author of Adaptive Ecologies: Correlated Systems of Living (2013), Enabling (2010), and the forthcoming publications Quantum (2025) and Elemental: Phenomena as Technology (2026).

ONLINE ZOOM:

https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/7437435849?pwd=ZnRtS1VzZTlIdjlIczdtNHdYbDczUT09&omn=92112975043

Meeting ID: 743 743 5849
Passcode: ?1234abc

Address

No. 111 Ren'ai Road
Suzhou
215123

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