2010-09-27 21:58
Foreign Architect College Experience PLAN——Strike the Spark of Wisdom
Inspired by the book World Architects in Their Twenties , a very young Chinese urban designer, Amanda Leung has been operating a fascinating academic program named “FACE PLAN” (Foreign Architect College Experience Plan) among colleges and universities throughout China. In China, the architecture education is quite different among different universities. In some famous universities which locate in coastal cities, there are quite a lot of chances for students to communicate with western architects including lectures, workshop, exchange, etc. But in some universities that in backland and remote places, those students seldom have such kind of chances to get touch with the new design concepts and ideas. But they are also eager for the chances to communicate with westerners, to get to know western design concept and education mode. By organizing this activity, Amanda wants to create a platform to promote the design education in undeveloped districts in the purpose of influencing and benefiting more Chinese students.
For now, she have hold 7 successful academic exchange activities: the first one is Principal and Founder of BAU International, James Breale’s visiting inYangtze University (Jingzhou, Hubei Province), who gave a lecture named “Pleasure and Pain–an Australian designer working in China” ; another academic exchange is the Senior Chief Designer of KPF, David Malott’s visiting in Southwest University of Science and Technology (Mianyang, Sichuan Province), whose topic is “The Relationship Between High Rise Building and City Context ”. Besides these two, she invited presenters including Jean from B+H, Gabriele from SPARCH, Shannon who owns studio, Quentin who is studio director of WOODSBAGOT shanghai office, Stephan from Arc8x, Christian from SPARCH Beijing and Martin from GMP. Except the lectures, the speakerS also had access to review students’ design works and talking to the schools’ professors. Especially, the biggest “revenue” for speakers is the opportunity to visit local historical places and Chinese traditional architectures, the cost of which part and travelling expense (from Shanghai to the target school) will be sponsored by the inviting university or college.
Amanda realized that students are highly interested in such academic exchange program and through this kind of program some students even got the precious intern opportunity to work in famous architecture company like KPF ad BAU International.
According to her plan, ”FACE PLAN ” team will choose 1 or 2 universities every month, and arrange a designer to each university to work out this plan during weekends. The program will include lectures, drawing review, group discussion,workshop. On the part of lectures, Amanda Leung wished the speaker will talk not only their design projects, but their personal experience with architecture design, their dazed days on campus and their persistence to the architecture career. Meanwhile, Amanda plans to promote the activity by setting Internet , publishing books, and other ways to attract more designers to join this amazing activity and create an open , live academic communication platform between Chinese students who are thirsty for architecture design knowledge and those foreign architects who are willing to impart their learning.
If you are an architect or an urban designer, and you want to know more about the traditions and customs of this amazing land, please join us now! FACE PLAN—–Your Pilgrimage To the Amazing Places in China and Beacon for Chinese architect students.