Snøhetta has been appointed as the Li Dehua-Luo Xiaowei Design Chair Professor at Tongji University College of Architecture and Urban Planning for the spring 2026 semester.
The studio, titled “Sensing Space: Ecologies of Learning, Culture and Community,” will explore how architecture can engage the body and senses, emphasising spatial experience over traditional drawing. Students will work on a single Shanghai riverfront site, centred around a reclaimed artefact retrieved from the riverbed, and develop a three-part programme: a Museum for culture and public storytelling, a School for everyday learning, and a Third Space addressing specific conditions of access or inequality.
The course integrates Snøhetta’s design methodology with the Sensing Space educational programme, guiding students through four phases—Sensing Space, Concept Methodology, Architecture as the Art of Prepositions, and Exhibition. The approach encourages movement, observation, and collective idea development, grounding projects in real spatial conditions and user needs.
The studio is led by Cheng Gong, Studio Director China at Snøhetta, alongside Robert Greenwood, Partner and Director for Asia Pacific, and Martin Gran, Managing Director of the Snøhetta Foundation. North Glass is acknowledged for its support of the initiative.
Founded in 1989, Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary design practice with global studios, combining architecture, landscape, interiors, and art, guided by environmental and cultural sensitivity.
North Glass is a global leader in architectural and engineered glass, delivering innovative, high-precision solutions for projects in over 110 countries.
