HKU Bulletin November 2009 (Vol. 11 No .1)

22 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin 23 November 2009 Teaching and Learning Undergraduates in the Department of Architecture have been given a unique opportunity to broaden their cultural and educational horizons by immersing themselves in the architectural and urban issues pertinent to China. Since its launch, last year, the Shanghai Study Centre has proved enormously successful with students, who are keen to gain a more international learning experience. Of the 70 students admitted to the programme annually, 35 spend the spring term of their second year in Shanghai, while the other half pass the autumn term of their third year at the Centre. “For Architecture students,” says Dean, Professor Ralph Lerner, “that means design studio, plus a constellation of other courses, which cover building technology, history and theory of architecture, professional practice, building structures and environmental systems. “With the exception of the history and theory courses, they are all taught by teachers local to Shanghai – people who are either teachers, or architects, working in the city.” Additionally, the Centre hosts joint programmes at the postgraduate level in Architecture with Columbia, Harvard, Yale and Tsinghua Universities; an extremely popular public lecture series; and regular exhibitions. Starting next year it will also accommodate a class of 12 Landscape Architecture students. Located in the General Post Office Building, a heritage site in the heart of Shanghai, the Centre also houses an office of the University’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre, and was established, in part, with the generous support of a donor. Professor Lerner says, “This year we experimented with a Summer Programme which was a visiting school by the Architecture Association (AA) and HKU, run by one of our teachers on behalf of the AA. That accommodated 50 students from 20 different countries, five continents.” The 11-day programme on parametric design – which included lectures, studio design projects and symposia – was, says Professor Lerner, “wildly successful. So next year we are going to attempt three such programmes.” However, he confesses that, “At one point I thought Shanghai might be a little bit like administrating castor oil. But, it’s turned out to be wildly popular, we’ve had almost no problems. The students have been enthusiastic and the reports very positive.” Indeed, student, Dan Luo, describes her semester in Shanghai as “a really extraordinary experience,” singling out the lecture series and field trips as particular highlights. “Unlike in Hong Kong, where we can only see pioneering architecture in books, magazines or on the Internet, in Shanghai we had the opportunity to visit projects by MADA s.p.a.m. and Wang Shu, as well as traditional Chinese gardens,” she says. A COSMOPOLITAN PERSPECTIVE, by design The University’s efforts to inject a global perspective into the curriculum has received a boost from the enormous success of the Faculty of Architecture’s Shanghai Study Centre.