What happens when Nordic minimalism meets Shanghai’s romantic urban charm? Sparks of creativity and innovation! Recently, students from the Zhongqiao –Helsinki School of Future Engineering launched their “City as Lab” program in Shanghai — an immersive architectural exploration that took learning beyond the classroom and into the heart of the city.
Students majoring in Architectural Engineering (Sino-Foreign Joint Program) stepped out of campus and into a 3.2-kilometer “urban corridor” lined with plane trees, turning the city itself into their living laboratory.
This field study transformed urban spaces into teaching materials. From uncovering the structural secrets behind the elegant curves of the Wukang Building, to tracing cultural stories hidden in the bricks of Sinan Mansions, and finally, venturing into the EKA·Tianwu Creative Park — a revitalized industrial complex reimagined as a model for sustainable communities.
The route was carefully curated by the Zhongqiao –Helsinki School of Future Engineering to immerse students in the dialogue between Nordic design philosophy and Shanghai’s urban culture — a meeting of structure, space, and spirit.
This architectural field trip marks the beginning of a series of hands-on learning initiatives by the institute. Guided by its mission to “cultivate the next generation of innovators driving industry transformation,” the program integrates practical experience into every stage of professional training.
Through this Shanghai journey, students gained not only architectural insight but also inspiration — to blend wisdom with creativity and to shape a brighter future in the field of architecture through the power of Sino-Finnish collaboration.
