Imprint · Twin Cities | HIT–Tongji Joint International Summer School
City Traces | Undergraduate International Summer School
Creative Future | Graduate International Summer School
At 10:00 AM on June 30, 2025, the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) International Summer School officially commenced. Outstanding faculty from China and abroad, together with excellent young students from across the country, gathered to witness the opening. The Summer School is jointly organized by HIT’s Undergraduate School and Graduate School, and hosted by the School of Architecture and Design.
Group Photo of Faculty and All Participants
Attendees at the opening ceremony included Vice Dean Xu Ping of the Undergraduate School of HIT, Dean Sun Cheng of the School of Architecture and Design of HIT, Vice Dean Zhang Peng of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, Francesco Novelli (Executive Deputy Director of the China Center of Politecnico di Torino), Ramón Pico Valimaña (Dean of the School of Architecture, University of Seville), Riccardo Barsotti (Head of the Joint PhD Training Program, University of Pisa), Eulalia Gomez-Escoda (Vice Dean of the School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Catalonia), Marco Voltini (Professor, Politecnico di Milano), Romesh Goonewardene (Professor, Curtin University), Wang Jialiang (Pennsylvania State University), Xie Junmin (City University of Macau), and other distinguished guests. A total of 144 participants from 11 countries and regions attended the ceremony, which was presided over by Professor Zhang Yu of the School of Architecture and Design, HIT.
Conference Guests and Faculty
In his speech, Vice Dean Xu Ping announced the official launch of the 2025 International Summer School. As an important initiative for the internationalization of undergraduate education, the Summer School covers frontier themes such as intelligent information communication, artificial intelligence, and smart energy, attracting participation from teachers and students in 24 countries worldwide. The School of Architecture and Design, as one of HIT’s founding disciplines, has organized international architecture summer schools for many years. This year, the program has expanded into a series of projects to build platforms for cross-cultural exchange, encouraging the collision and integration of design concepts from different countries. With a focus on architectural aesthetics and innovative education, the Summer School helps cultivate top talents. Xu expressed his hope that students would gain both knowledge and growth through this academic journey of cities and architecture, leaving behind lasting impressions.
Vice Dean Zhang Peng of Tongji University thanked HIT for its warm invitation and welcomed faculty and students from around the world. He emphasized the close cooperation between Tongji University and HIT in the fields of architecture and planning, which has yielded fruitful results. The jointly organized “Imprint · Twin Cities” Summer School aims to foster cross-cultural academic exchanges, broaden students’ international horizons, and stimulate innovation. He expressed his expectation that this initiative would further deepen cooperation between the two universities, jointly advancing the development of architecture and planning disciplines. Finally, he wished the Summer School every success, with abundant learning outcomes and memorable experiences for both teachers and students.
Francesco Novelli, Executive Deputy Director of the China Center at Politecnico di Torino, stressed that the Summer School is an important platform for international exchange and academic cooperation, contributing to interdisciplinary integration and innovative development. He encouraged students to break disciplinary and cultural boundaries, think proactively, practice courageously, broaden horizons, and ignite inspiration through diverse interactions. He wished the Summer School fruitful outcomes and complete success.
Representing the joint faculty of “Imprint · Twin Cities”, Eulalia Gomez-Escoda, Vice Dean of the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, stated that this Summer School brings together teachers and students from different countries and disciplines, transcending cultural and professional boundaries to learn, collaborate, and exchange ideas. Within the compact curriculum, inspiration will be sparked, perspectives broadened, and the multiple possibilities of architecture and the city explored. She described it as a rare journey of humanistic and academic integration and a grateful growth experience.
Representing the faculty of “City Traces”, Professor Romesh Goonewardene of Curtin University noted that while today’s universities face many challenges, they also encounter an era full of opportunities. He called for unity within disciplines, interdisciplinary collaboration, and emphasized the universality and sense of belonging of architectural education. He highly commended China’s important role in architecture and education and looked forward to learning and progressing together with the younger generation to contribute wisdom and strength to the future.
Representing the faculty of “Creative Future”, Riccardo Barsotti, Head of the Joint PhD Training Program at the University of Pisa, expressed gratitude and congratulations for the Summer School, conveying greetings from his department head and PhD program director. He highlighted the importance of cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural exchange, noting that such cooperation is beneficial to the progress of human society. He hoped to exchange ideas with the faculty and students present, stimulating thought, and wished everyone fruitful gains and a wonderful experience.
Dean Sun Cheng of the School of Architecture and Design warmly welcomed guests and participants from China and abroad. He reviewed the century-long development and international influence of HIT’s architectural discipline and introduced the highlights of the upgraded 2025 International Summer School, including three series of programs: “Imprint · Harbin”, “Imprint · Twin Cities”, and “Creative Future.” This event gathers leading scholars at home and abroad, fostering cross-cultural academic exchange and innovative practice. He officially declared the Summer School open and wished it complete success.
Student representatives also shared their views. A representative from the University of Seville, Spain, participating in “Imprint · Twin Cities”, expressed anticipation for deepening their understanding of Chinese history and urban architecture through comparative studies. The activity not only promotes international exchange and academic mutual learning but also provides valuable opportunities for growth.
A student representative from Yonsei University, Korea, participating in “Imprint · Harbin”, Moon Seonjin, thanked the Summer School for providing valuable opportunities for learning and exchange, especially in interdisciplinary explorations such as artificial intelligence and architectural design. She encouraged students to cherish the experience, actively participate, broaden their academic perspectives, and enhance innovation capabilities, wishing the Summer School every success.
Zhao Yunguo, a doctoral student of HIT, also addressed the opening ceremony. He emphasized the importance of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence for research in architecture and energy efficiency, noting that this course carries great significance in enhancing interdisciplinary capabilities and innovative thinking. He encouraged all participants to cherish the opportunity and study diligently.
This year’s Summer School boasts a strong teaching team, led by Professor Sun Cheng, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design, HIT, with Professor Zhang Peng, Vice Dean of Tongji University’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning, among others. The faculty includes distinguished domestic and international scholars such as:
Jian Kang, Professor at Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK
Francesco Novelli, Executive Deputy Director, China Center of Politecnico di Torino
Ramón Pico Valimaña, Dean, School of Architecture, University of Seville
Riccardo Barsotti, Head of Joint PhD Program, University of Pisa
Eulalia Gomez-Escoda, Vice Dean, School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Marco Voltini, Professor, Politecnico di Milano
Romesh Goonewardene, Professor, Curtin University
Plácido González Martínez, Professor, University of Seville
Wang Jialiang, Professor, Pennsylvania State University
Paloma Pineda Palomo, Professor, University of Seville
Sara María De Giles Dubois, Professor, University of Seville
Lorenzo Savio, Associate Professor, Politecnico di Torino
Còssima Cornadó, Associate Professor, Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Liang Xiaoxu, Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Torino
Chen Shouheng, Chief Architect, SHDT Shouheng Architecture
Xie Junmin, Associate Professor, City University of Macau
Ji Rui, Engineer, Rhino Development Team
Dong Wei, Vice Dean, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Zhang Chenghu, Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Zhu Xun, Professor, Head of Design Department, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Zhang Yu, Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Guo Haibo, Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Dong Qi, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Liu Ying, Associate Professor, Deputy Director of Architecture Department, HIT
Yu Ge, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Dong Yu, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Su Wanqing, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Ye Yang, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Yu Tingting, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Guo Qi, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Mu Jingyi, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
Luo Zhaoyang, Associate Researcher, School of Architecture and Design, HIT
The Summer School admitted a total of 144 students, hailing from prestigious international universities such as the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, University of Rome, Politecnico di Milano, and University of Seville, as well as leading domestic institutions including HIT, Tongji University, East China University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, Taiyuan University of Technology, Soochow University, and Suzhou University of Science and Technology.
The curriculum is rich and diverse, comprising academic lectures, group discussions, and hands-on experiential activities. It showcases the unity of academic rigor, innovation, and interactivity, providing an excellent opportunity and a broad platform for enhancing students’ professional competence and expanding their international horizons.
