Time: 29.April 2026 View:
From April 20 to 24, 2026, the China-Spain International Joint Graduation Design Mid-Term Defense was successfully held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. A total of 38 faculty members and students from the School of Architecture of the University of A Coruña (ETSAC, UDC), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), and Inner Mongolia University of Technology participated in the mid-term defense.
On the morning of April 21, a welcome ceremony took place in the Art Salon of the Architecture Building at Inner Mongolia University of Technology. Professor Xu Guoqiang, Dean of the School of Architecture, delivered a welcome speech. Professors Patricia Alonso and Cristina García Fontán, Vice Deans of the School of Architecture at the University of A Coruña, and Professor Guo Qi from Harbin Institute of Technology also addressed the ceremony. The event was hosted by Professor Duan Jianqiang, the school's faculty lead for international cooperation. Following the welcome ceremony, Professors Patricia Alonso, Cristina García Fontán, and Guo Qi held special academic lectures in the Li Daxia Lecture Hall, creating a strong academic atmosphere.
The theme of the joint graduation design was "The Architectural Archive Center of the Eurasian Steppe Belt." Chinese and international faculty and students visited the selected site for field research, examining historical and cultural heritage sites such as Wusutu Zhao and the Zhao Great Wall Beacon Tower Ruins. Eight student groups from the three universities presented their mid-term defenses, with professors from each institution providing insightful feedback and suggestions for optimizing the design proposals.
During the event, Chinese and international faculty and students also visited the Architecture Building of Inner Mongolia University of Technology, the Hohhot Sculpture Art Museum, the Inner Mongolia Museum, the Sai Shang Old Street, and Dazhao Temple, among other cultural landmarks. These visits allowed participants to deeply experience the historical heritage and urban landscape of Hohhot.
The China-Spain tri-university joint graduation design has been ongoing for over a decade. The successful holding of this event has not only effectively promoted in-depth exchanges and cooperation in the field of architectural education among the three universities but also accumulated valuable experience for future cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary joint teaching and research practices.
