(“Text as taken from the website”)
Liu Xiaodu
Principal Architect and Co-founder of URBANUS Architecture & Design Inc. LIU Xiaodu was appointed as one of the chief curators for 2017 Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \ Architecture (Shenzhen). He served as the first chairman of the Shenzhen City of Design Promotion Association. LIU Xiaodu is also the director of Pingshan Art Museum in Shenzhen, which opened in 2019. In 1999, LIU Xiaodu co-founded URBANUS with partners MENG Yan and WANG Hui. URBANUS developed branches in Beijing and Shenzhen and has become one of the most influential architectural practices in China. LIU Xiaodu is the constructer of company structure and oversees the overall operation. Architecture design projects co-led by LIU Xiaodu include Tulou Collective Housing, Hui Hotel, Bcn Re. Set-Identity Pavilion, OCT-LOFT Renovation, Hongdu Old Factories Renovation, OCT Art & Design Gallery, Greater China IFC, SHUM YIP UpperHills LOFT and VANKE Liuxiandong North Green Belt Landscape Design, Two Pavilions in Jingmi Park etc. The projects have received numerous prominent awards, exhibited and published worldwide.
LIU Xiaodu was graduated from Tsinghua University and Miami University. He used to teach at the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, and taught architectural design at the University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University and IUAV in recent years as visiting professor. LIU Xiaodu also held the posts of visiting professor at Hunan University, Shenzhen University and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. He is often invited to be the jury member for international competitions and to give lectures at many influential academic institutions worldwide.
Meng Yan
Principal Architect and Co-founder of URBANUS Architecture & Design Inc. In 1999, MENG Yan co-founded URBANUS with partners LIU Xiaodu and WANG Hui. He has focused on architectural design and urban research in the context of contemporary Chinese cities for twenty years. As Principal in charge of Design of URBANUS, MENG Yan has led numerous design projects over the years. These projects have won an international reputation for URBANUS, including Luohu Art Gallery, Dafen Art Museum, the OCT Art & Design Gallery, OCT-LOFT Renovation, Tulou Collective Housing, Maillen Hotel & Apartment, Nanshan Marriage Registration Center, Artron Art Center, CGN Headquarters Building, Zhongdian Complex, the Southern University of Science and Technology library and gymnasium and recently completed SHUM YIP UpperHills LOFT、the Renovation of Meng Sheng Residence, etc. His works have been exhibited in international architectural exhibitions in New York, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rotterdam, Tokyo and other places and have been published in academic journals. MENG Yan’s work has long focused on the key issues of China’s urban development, including social and cultural issues of rapid urbanization, high-density urban building typologies, Urban Village regeneration and preservation of historical area. He has led many urban design and research projects, such as series of studies on Shenzhen’s Urban Villages, including Hubei Old Village and Baishizhou 5 Villages Urban Regeneration Research, Nantou Old Town Preservation and Regeneration, Huaqiangbei Catic City Urban Design, as well as Preservation & Regeneration of Historic Qianmen East Hutong Area in Beijing, etc.
Wang Hui
Principal Architect and Co-founder of URBANUS Architecture & Design Inc. In 1999, WANG Hui co-founded URBANUS with partners LIU Xiaodu and MENG Yan. After a co-management of the early work of URBANUS in Shenzhen, WANG Hui has been overseen the operation of Beijing Office since 2003, and takes part in urban and architecture design of the Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan triangle area, the Yangtze River Delta region and many other cities. WANG Hui is an architect licensed in New York State and a RIBA Chartered Architect. He received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees of Architecture from Tsinghua University, and Master’s degree of Architecture from Miami University. He is a council member of the Architectural Society of China, and a council member of Architects’ Branch at the Architectural Society of China. He is also a studio master at the Architecture School at Tsinghua University and a visiting professor at the Center of Architecture Research and Design, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Practice Ideology
Founded in 1999, URBANUS is recognized as one of the most influential independent architecture practices in China. More than a design practice, Urbanus is also a think tank. It aims at formulating architectural strategy from the urban environment and its ever changing conditions. Urbanus has always focused on the urban realities in China and seeks architectural solutions based on its research of emerging urban problems. Urbanus have completed numerous important architecture and urban design projects since its inception. The built works cover the range of culture & education, office buildings, residential & commercial buildings, landscape design, renovation/regeneration projects, public art installations, etc. Some of the most recognized projects include the Luohu Art Museum, Dafen Art Museum, the OCT Art & Design Museum, Artron Art Center, Tulou Collective Housing, Maillen Hotel & Apartment, Hui Hotel, Library and Gymnasium of South University of Science and Technology, CGN Headquarters Building, SHUM YIP Upper Hills LOFT, OCT Loft Renovation, Nantou Old Town Preservation and Regeneration, The Environmental Upgrade of the Five Dragons Temple in Shanxi, Tangshan Museum Expansion, Tangshan Urban Planning Museum, The Grand Canal Creative Center, 2019 Beijing Botanic Garden of International Horticultural Exhibition, Xihoudu Early Human Archaelogical Site, Beijing Historical Quadrangle House Rehabilitation Series, etc.
Urbanus’ architecture delivers unique identity while respecting the existing urban fabric with sensitivity. Many built works have become new landmarks of urban life. Urbanus’ works have received numerous prominent awards, such as WA Chinese Architecture Award, THE PLAN Award, The ARC ASIA Awards for Architecture, China Architecture Media Award, Architectural Record Awards and have been shortlisted for Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Urbanus have drawn international recognition due to its sensitivity to urban, historical, and social structures, its integration of potential spatial and social resources, and its effectiveness in responding to the complexities of the urban environment.Urbanus’ works have been exhibited internationally in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Venice, Lisbon, Sao Paulo, Barcelona, Tokyo, Rome, Rotterdam, Brussels, Vienna, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei etc. The office has also received extensive coverage and publication from world-renowned architectural and design media.
Urbanus is now further streamlining its design and research platform, and exploring global multi-disciplinary collaborations. Urbanus’s research unit (UPRD) is primarily focused in urban strategy, design, curation and research. UPRD has conducted a series of research projects, including topics such as the typologies and social networks of urban creative clusters, or the hyper-dense urban renewal, preservation, and regeneration processes unfolding within urban villages and historic areas.
