Huazhong Agricultural University
Jan. 12th-15th, 2026
The 2025 Global Studio Program at Huazhong Agricultural University will focus on the theme "Shanshui Urbanism: Constructing Future Habitats." The event will unite students, faculty, and experts from prestigious global universities for collaborative design sessions, emphasizing landscape architecture education, practice, and the development of future leadership. Organized by Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture (CHSLA) and Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU).
With the core positioning of "highlighting the characteristics of Chinese landscape architecture while integrating global cutting-edge ideas," the workshop will establish a series of thematic design topics centered around traditional landscape philosophies such as "Unity of Heaven and Humanity," "Spirit of Mountains and Waters," and "Poetics of Space." Through diverse formats—including lectures, seminars, field investigations, group design studios, and final presentations—the program aims to enhance the global understanding of Eastern perspectives on nature, spatial aesthetics, and ecological wisdom, while exploring innovative applications of traditional culture in addressing contemporary challenges such as sustainable urban development, ecological restoration, and the reconstruction of livable environments.
As a dynamic platform for fostering international exchange and cooperation among young talents and academic institutions, this GSP installment aspires to advance the global dissemination of academic influence in landscape architecture. It will not only serve as a vibrant collision of knowledge and ideas but also deepen the dialogue and mutual learning between Chinese and international landscape architecture education, nurturing a new generation of designers and future leaders with both a global vision and strong cultural roots.
山水城市：建构未来人居环境
Shanshui Urbanism: Constructing Sustainable Future Habitats
"Shanshui Urbanism" draws from traditional Chinese landscape philosophy, envisioning a harmonious coexistence between natural mountains, waters, and human settlements. It reflects the spatial philosophy of "learning from nature" and "unity of heaven and humanity," offering profound insights into the development of future habitats in response to global urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
This theme focuses on translating the spirit of Shanshui into contemporary methodologies for urban and rural development. It explores how to integrate respect for natural topography, protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems, and the organic embedding of green infrastructure into spatial design, thereby creating resilient, diverse, and culturally resonant living environments. By establishing spatial systems with clear ecological structures, continuous landscape processes, and vibrant social interactions, it aims to achieve a profound integration of nature and artifice, ecology and culture, landscape and city.
This theme aspires to inspire landscape architects worldwide to draw from Eastern wisdom when addressing complex environmental challenges, using the Shanshui vision to explore more sustainable and vibrant models for human habitat construction. Through international dialogue and innovative case studies, it seeks to promote the localization and reinterpretation of the Shanshui Urbanism concept across diverse geographic and cultural contexts, contributing an Eastern perspective and cross-cultural insights to the global movement toward green development, livable cities, and ecological civilization.
1. Protection and Reshaping of Urban Shanshui Patterns