Running Order

We have invited 5 graduates from different years to tell us about what they have been doing since they graduated and share any reflections / memories of the course. We will also hear from current staff and those that were involved on both sides at the start of the venture. And we will hear from a current MArch student who studied at the LSA but did a semester in China. The graduates will be introduced by a current 2+2 LSA/XJTLU student in BA3. 

13:00 Start

Ola is Head of School of Architecture at the University of Liverpool, she is also a researcher in modern architecture, the history of educational architecture in West Africa, and contemporary issues related to social infrastructure provision for minority communities in the ‘West’ and ‘South’. She is an advocate of equity in all its forms in the workplace, particularly in the Architectural profession. She promotes the Documentation and recording of Modernist Buildings and Landscapes, (Docomomo) Africa, and was President of the African Studies Association UK (2020-2022). She is currently working on a project titled “Aid By Design” examining Aid and its relationship to Architecture in the 21st Century, and also the history of health Architecture in Africa.  

Jack Dunne is an Architect and Urban Designer who is an International Chair of RIBA validation for Schools of Architecture worldwide. He has been head of BA2, BA3 and M.Arch 2 at Liverpool, as well as previously being Director of Studies for both BA and M.Arch degrees here at the School. His practice work is socially driven and he has worked with low income communities in the UK and also black communities in Houston and Indianapolis, Native American communities in Montana and Arizona, as well as large organised activist groups in Mexico City. He has been the recipient of the ACSA Award for Collaborative Design USA, and is an Honorary Native American Indian ( Crow Tribe ). He has been invited by Sandy today to introduce the Maggies concept, as he has set Cancer Care Centre Centres as student project briefs in both BA and M.Arch, and is an advocate of how good architecture can facilitate accessible healthy welcoming places. 

I was Head of the School of Architecture in Liverpool at the launch of the Architecture programme at XJTLU. I took on the role of re-drafting the syllabus to be better aligned with the Liverpool syllabus, and interviewed the first cohort of staff who were recruited to launch the programme. Later I was appointed as Vice President at XJTLU and was able to play a part in the design of South Campus that was to become the new, purpose-designed location for the now very successful, Department of Architecture. 

Austin Williams is the PG Dip Professional Practice in Architecture course leader at Kingston School of Art; and Honorary Research Fellow at XJTLU in Suzhou, China. He is the China correspondent for The Architectural Review and author of “China’s Urban Revolution: Understanding Chinese Eco-cities“. His book “New Chinese Architecture: Twenty Women Building the Future” is published by Thames & Hudson. 

I was head of school at the Liverpool School of Architecture when the idea to begin a joint architecture programme at XJTLU was first considered by the universities in the UK and China. We had a lot of meetings here in Liverpool to consider how the joint courses might work and then I went out to Suzhou with a team from Liverpool headed by Prof. Kelvin Everest to refine the proposal in more detail. I met there with Prof. David Sadler, who was the first XJTLU director from Liverpool and we discussed practicalities such as the course structure and accommodation needs. Back in the UK I prepared the first course description and schedule of accommodation. In those days it was forecast that the numbers coming to Liverpool would be quite small (10 per year I believe) but this soon grew, which was not a surprise to me. Once the course was established I returned to XJTLU regularly in a variety of roles, such as helping with liaison back to the UK, monitoring assessment, and research support. Each time I met with staff and students and helped out teaching in design tutorials and reviews. I also co-supervised a number of PhD students. My visits were always interesting and enjoyable and I was always impressed by the quality of the students’ work. 

John is currently Programme Director for undergraduate studies together with the new MSc International Professional Practice (MIPP) due to commence in September 2024. As a chartered architect in UK, with almost 30 years practice experience as a design director, he has developed a specialism in health and social care design, leading numerous significant projects from their strategic and conceptual stages, through to successful realisation.

John was elected in 2020 to the China Chapter Council of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and is the Education Sub-Committee Lead. In addition he is a member of the ‘Architects For Health’, which focuses on the promotion of research, study and application of design qualities, in our health facilities and cities.

In his approach to design, he is fascinated by the evolving dialogue between the human body and architectural space, spanning both physical and digital realms and strongly supports that our built environment has a direct impact on our well-being and health (positive and negative) together with how it has the potential to enhance the human experience.”

Dr Junjie Xi is a senior lecturer in architectural design and humanities at the University of Liverpool. Prior to joining LSA, she taught at the Department of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University from 2016 till 2018. During her time at XJTLU, she was the link tutor, liaising with Liverpool regarding students exchange and collaborations in teaching. In 2017, she co-hosted a joint exhibition with LSA and presented the final year students work from both sides. Here at Liverpool, Dr Xi teaches in both Y2 (design studio) and Y3 (lecture based), where she has the opportunity to continue learning the work from the students arrived from Suzhou. In March 2024, together with other colleagues, she was fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead a group of 12 first year students and visited XJTLU’s SIP campus. This was the first time LSA’s students visited XJTLU, which way very much enjoyed by everyone. 

An architect and Senior lecturer Sandy joined the school in 2007, tutoring PT across BA and MA. In 2012 she was part of the teaching team welcoming the first students of the 2+2 XJTLU programme and joined full time in 2013 to embrace and assist the enormous change.  As BA3 lead (2015 to 2018) she helped manage the new studio structure and co-introduced and re-introduced initiatives of; the careers day, the LSA yearbook, studio-based end of year showcasing with PV before becoming SOTA Internationalisation Lead until 2020. Sandy currently leads BA3’s live project Studio Pen and Inc with a small team of collaborating tutors focussing on sustainable, liveable cities, looks after the Venice Fellowship Programme with British Council; curates the LSA open guest lecture series (since 2014) and collaborates widely to develop and deliver student experience projects. 

Emma Curtin is a registered architect and senior lecturer. Earlier in her career, she worked at architectural practices in Manchester, Sheffield and London on a wide range of projects including education, social housing, transport and heritage re-use. She began working at the LSA part-time, appointed to a full-time role in 2013. Her scholarship is focussed on researching women who studied at the school in the early 20th century, and exploring teaching and learning in the design studio. She has enjoyed teaching architectural design on the LSA/XJTLU 2+2 course since it began. She is part of the team that has developed the school’s teaching and learning strategies to adapt to the enormous change and opportunity that came with this new course. She continues to lead a BA2 design studio.

Alumni each introduced by Xinyi Wen 
Current BA3 student.

My name is Xinyi.Wen. I was studied at XJTLU architecture department in 2020 and participated in the 2+2 programme to come to the University of Liverpool in 2022. Currently, I am a BA3 student and will be completing my undergraduate studies in June this year. 

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After completing the 2+2 LSA/XJTLU program in 2020, I embraced a year of exploration before diving into professional life. In 2021, I joined the Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s Shanghai office, and also received GSD MArch offer later that same year. At Harvard, I found myself drawn to the dynamic intersection of data-driven design and technology. This passion led me to pursue a concurrent Master of Design Studies degree with a focus on Design Technology at the GSD.  Last year, I worked as a product management and design intern at a tech company. My approach is all about embracing adventure and inclusivity, ensuring that my work not only innovates but also connects.

Zhaoxi Tian, a multidisciplinary designer/architect, graduated from the Architectural Association. He serves as programme head of the AA Shanghai visiting school and summer school, he is also a visiting associate professor at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts. Zhaoxi has garnered nominations for the RIBA President’s Bronze Medal and the Young Talent Architecture Award. He has contributed to and led numerous large-scale cultural projects such as the 2021 Beijing Design Week 751D-park design and ART023 exhibition design. He also exhibited works at prestigious venues such as the Venice Biennale, the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, and the TATE. As a co-founder of the interdisciplinary firm HALF BOTTLE, he explores spatial narratives and undertakes extensive exhibition curation and spatial design projects, their project ZAOTANG was nominated for ArchDaily’s Building of the Year Awards – Cultural Architecture. 

I started my BArch at Liverpool in 2018 and did a semester at XJTLU from 2019 – 2020. I chose to study at Liverpool because of the study abroad opportunities so I was really excited when I found out I got accepted to go to China for 6 months! This experience was one of the best things I did and is something that I speak about to this day. The food, friends I made, travelling and welcoming university are some of the positive highlights of this experience for me. I am now in my 4th year of MArch at Liverpool. 

I graduated from the 2+2 program between XJTLU and LSA in 2021. My graduation project was nominated for the RIBA Bronze Medal. After graduation, I worked at Aedas as an Architectural Assistant for a year, focusing on commercial architectural design and project management. Currently, I am furthering my studies at TU Delft in Netherlands, pursuing an MSc in Architecture with a focus on sustainable and innovative design practices. 

It has been almost five years since I graduated from LSA in 2019 summer. I practiced in Guangzhou, China for three years after that and participated in different kinds of projects, some of which were built in recent years, giving me a great sense of achievement, I often feel that the knowledge and methodology I have learned in LSA is influencing my design decisions, until now. I am currently a MArch Year 2 student of the University of Edinburgh, and I am really glad to join LSA event again.  

14:20 – 14:30 Q&A

14:30-15:00 Refreshments