On April 22, Mr. Rui LEÃO, the Secretary General of the International Union of Architects (UIA), Immediate Past President of the International Council of Portuguese Language Architects (CIALP), Immediate Past President of Docomomo Macau, and Founder of LBA, Arquitectura e Planeamento Studio, visited Shenzhen University (SZU) upon the invitation of the Shenzhen University Benyuan Design and Research Center. During his visit, he attended the "Architecting the Future" academic symposium.
Mr. Mao Junfa, President of SZU and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mr. Meng Jianmin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of Benyuan Design and Research Center of SZU, and Ms. Liu Yanping, Deputy Director of Housing and Construction Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, held a warm and amicable meeting with Mr. Rui LEÃO, Secretary General of UIA, at the Benyuan Building of SZU.
During the symposium, Mr. Mao extended a warm welcome to Secretary General Rui LEÃO's visit to SZU, and underscored the university's enduring commitment to international exchanges. He emphasized the significant role played by the UIA in advancing architectural education and fostering collaboration between the Chinese and international architectural communities. Mr. Mao expressed optimism that today's event would establish a solid foundation for cooperation between the two sides. He also anticipated that the UIA would continue to introduce increasingly advanced architectural concepts and technologies to SZU, thereby promoting interdisciplinary integration and complementarity.
Secretary General Rui LEÃO of UIA affirmed Shenzhen's status as a city renowned for its tolerance, innovation, and openness, recognizing its crucial strategic role in the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He also lauded SZU as a comprehensive university with a notably innovative and open-minded vision. Looking ahead, the two sides committed to actively collaborating on exploring the future direction of architecture, with the aim of enhancing living environments for humanity.
On the same afternoon, the symposium themed on "Architecting the Future - Secretary General of UIA Visiting Shenzhen University" was held in the Benyuan Lecture Hall of Benyuan Building at SZU. The event was organized under the guidance of the Housing and Construction Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality and SZU, hosted by Benyuan Design and Research Center of SZU, co-organized by the School of Architecture & Urban Planning of SZU, and supported by Shenzhen Exploration & Design Association, Shenzhen Society of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research Co. Ltd. (SZAD).
Secretary General Rui LEÃO of UIA delivered a speech titled "Architecting the Future: Can GBA Become a Cultural Realm" at the academic symposium. Drawing from years of experience in the field of architecture, he examined the positive influence of cultural diversity on urban development within the Greater Bay Area. Additionally, he shared practical insights from personal project cases, illustrating the concepts and methodologies employed in designs for the Greater Bay Area, and their significance in urban and cultural contexts, through project interpretations during the symposium.
