From October 24th to 31st, under the strategic direction of the university and college, Prof. Peng Changxin, Dean of the School of Architecture, led a delegation of the school for a one-week visit to Germany and Italy. The delegation engaged in comprehensive discussions with leaders and faculty from four renowned institutions: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Politecnico di Torino, and Politecnico di Bari. Joining Professor Peng were faculty members, including Professor Xiao Yiqiang, Feng Jiang, Wu Zhibin, and Associate Professors Xu Haohao and Yin Shi.

On the morning of October 25, the delegation visited Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, and was warmly welcomed by Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President of KIT, Professor Andreas Wagner, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, and Professor Oliver Schmidt, Director of the International Cooperation Office. As German elite universities and leading universities in the field of architecture, both sides highly affirmed their respective research achievements in the field of architecture. Under the joint witness of Vice President Wu Bo and Vice President Thomas Hirth, Dean Peng Changxin and Professor Andreas Wagner signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two schools of architecture. Both sides look forward to taking this exchange as an opportunity to carry out in-depth cooperation in sustainable building and other disciplines through two-way exchanges of teachers and research teams, including school-enterprise linkage, building joint research institutes, and joint cultivation of high-level talents. Vice President Wu Bo also extended an invitation to Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to participate in the New Engineering Summer School scheduled for 2025 at the SCUT’s International Campus, with the goal of establishing a high-level international exchange platform and strengthening collaboration between the two universities.

Visited Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

On the afternoon of October 25, the delegation visited Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt) and held in-depth discussions with Thomas Walther, Vice President. Vice President Wu Bo emphasized in the meeting that the School of Architecture of South China University of Technology is one of the famous “old eight schools” of architecture in China, and South China University of Technology and TU Darmstadt are both members of the Sino-European Engineering Education Union (SEEEP), and both of them enjoy the reputation of cultivating excellent engineers. Vice President Wu Bo expressed hopes for deeper collaboration in talent cultivation, joint research, and cultural exchange. The meeting concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two universities' Schools of Architecture, and TU Darmstadt confirmed its participation in the New Engineering Summer School scheduled for 2025 at SCUT’s International Campus. The delegation also visited TU Darmstadt's laboratories in architectural design, urban development, and the Reallabor eHUB solar energy project, and had in-depth academic exchanges with relevant discipline leaders, further strengthening the foundation for future cooperation.

Visited TU Darmstadt and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

On October 28, the delegation visited Politecnico di Torino in Italy and held a meeting with Michele Bonino, Dean of the School of Architecture, Marco Bagani, Director of the International Division, and Edoardo Bruno, Representative of Asian Affairs. The two universities have a longstanding collaborative relationship, including an undergraduate dual-degree program in architecture (1+3+1), a Chinese-foreign cooperative master’s degree program in urban design, and a joint dual-degree doctoral program. During the visit, Professors Peng Changxin, Feng Jiang, and Associate Professor Xu Haohao attended the graduation defense of Huang Wen (supervisor: Prof. Feng Jiang, Prof. Edoardo Piccoli), a jointly supervised doctoral student, marking the second successful completion of the dual-degree doctoral program after Yicheng Wang (supervisor: Prof. Sun Yimin, Prof. Michele Bonino). This achievement reflects the progress made through the collaboration between South China University of Technology and Politecnico di Torino. Building on this foundation, the two sides discussed further cooperation in student training and research and agreed to expand their international programs under the China Scholarship Council (CSC) Program. They also explored ideas for future joint projects. Additionally, Politecnico di Torino invited SCUT’s School of Architecture to participate in an exhibition in Beijing in November, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership.

Visited Politecnico di Torino and held talks and tours

On October 29, the delegation visited the Politecnico di Bari in Italy, and was warmly welcomed by Francesco Cupertin, President of the University, Orendana Ficarelli, Vice President and Francesco Defilippis, Dean of the School of Architecture. During the meeting, both universities presented the history, student training, and research areas of their respective architecture programs. They agreed to enhance collaboration in student exchange and research initiatives. The Politecnico di Bari extended an invitation to SCUT’s School of Architecture to participate in the Erasmus+ short-term visit program for graduate students. The delegation also toured the university’s facilities, including offices, teaching areas, and laboratories, and engaged in discussions with faculty and students from related disciplines.

Visited Politecnico di Bari and held talks and tours