Snøhetta appointed as Tongji University’s Li Dehua-Luo Xiaowei Design Chair Professor for Spring 2026

We are pleased to announce that Snøhetta has been recently appointed as Li Dehua-Luo Xiaowei Design Chair Professor at Tongji University College of Architecture and Urban Planning for the spring 2026 semester.

Under the title “Sensing Space,” the studio seeks to cultivate embodied spatial literacy while linking architectural education to issues of educational equity, access, and cultural continuity. This semester-long course approaches space as something we sense and negotiate with our bodies—not merely something we draw. Integrating the Sensing Space educational program with Snøhetta’s design methodology, the studio challenges students to work on a single site and develop a three-part program: a Museum for culture, memory, and public storytelling; a School for structured learning and everyday use; and a Third Space, defined by students to address a specific condition of access, meaning, or inequality. The overarching goal is to explore how architecture can strengthen learning, culture, and community.

The site for this semester is a Shanghai riverfront location anchored by a reclaimed artifact lifted from the riverbed—an object that bridges past, present, and future. Students will investigate how this artifact can inspire new forms of learning, storytelling, and public experience, transforming the river’s edge into a place of memory and renewal.

Built on the Sensing Space methodology, the studio emphasizes movement, observation, prepositions, and collective idea work, encouraging design through sensing, thinking, and testing—not just drawing. Across four phases—Sensing Space, Concept Methodology, Architecture as the Art of Prepositions, and Exhibition—students will create projects grounded in real spatial conditions and real users. This initiative reflects Snøhetta’s commitment to shaping environments that foster identity, memory, and community—while inspiring the next generation of architects to think beyond form and function.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of North Glass for this studio.

Sensing Space: Ecologies of Learning, Culture and Community

Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary, dialogue-driven practice including architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art, often integrating a combination of interests across projects. From its inception in Norway in 1989, Snøhetta’s approach has been framed by environmental and cultural sensitivity, inspired by the Brundtland Commission’s UN report on sustainability, released in 1987. Representing different cultures, Snøhetta has more than 320 employees from 40 nations across seven regional studios spanning from Oslo to New York to Innsbruck, Paris, Melbourne, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen.

Snøhetta has realized many internationally acclaimed works around the globe since 1989, including Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, 1989-2001), Norwegian National Opera and Ballet (Oslo, 2000-2008), Viewpoint Snøhetta (Hjerkinn, 2009-2011), The National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion (New York City, 2004-2014), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, 2010-2016), Lascaux IV (Montignac-Lascaux, 2012-2016), Times Square (New York City, 2010-2017), Under (Lindesnes, 2016-2019), Shanghai Nanjing Road East Extension (2019-2020), Trælvikosen (Brønnøysund, 2018-2022), Beijing Library (Beijing, 2018-2023), Vertikal Nydalen (Oslo, 2015-2024), Čoarvemátta (Kautokeino/Guovdageaidnu, 2020-2024), Cloud 11 (Bangkok, 2020-2026), Shanghai Grand Opera House (Shanghai, 2017-2026), Shibuya Upper West Project (Tokyo, 2022-2029), Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum (Hangzhou, 2025- ), Beijing Art Museum (Beijing, 2025-), and among others.

The College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) of Tongji University has a broad and deep foundation since 1952. Currently, CAUP consists of three departments: the Department of Architecture, the Department of Urban Planning, and the Department of Landscape Architecture, with 222 full-time faculty members and researchers.

CAUP places the emphasis on four directions, including “Eco-city”, “Green Architecture”, “Heritage Preservation” and “Digital Design”, to form new and strong disciplines based on the existing development, and to develop new branches of advanced disciplines by constructing cross-disciplinary platforms. Taking the responsibility of building a sustainable human habitat environment, CAUP is aiming to achieve the goal of being a world class educational institution in urban planning, architecture and design.

For nearly three decades, the NorthGlass Processed Glass Business Unit has evolved through its three production bases in Tianjin, Shanghai, and Luoyang. Drawing on NorthGlass’s accumulated expertise in glass processing—as well as its independently developed capabilities in tempering, coating, and automation—the company has grown into a practice with a strong focus on technical craftsmanship and material innovation.

Today, NorthGlass continues to explore the possibilities of advanced glass technologies, with work ranging from high‑performance tempered glass to specialized architectural applications. Their materials have been used in projects across more than 50 countries and regions, supporting collaborations with a wide range of international and domestic partners, including Google, Oracle, Far East Facade, PAMAS, Huawei, OPPO, and Tencent.