Beihai University of Art and Design, Beihai, China
Beihai University of Art and Design has been cooperating with the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Pécs since 2016 in the field of architecture and architectural art.
The University is located in
China, in the city of Beihai. It was established in 2000, specialized in art
and design, and has currently more than 12 400 students.
Main areas of cooperation:
1) „Pécs Class
Program”
The Universities have jointly
developed a training program covering two academic years in order to provide
high-quality prerequisite training for the students of Beihai University
applying to the Architecture major of the University of Pécs.
During the two years of
training, we provide English language classes in a high number of hours, offer
practical courses focusing on creativity and visual communication and integrate
professional courses from the first year of the one-tier master’s training curriculum
of the Faculty.
Students who successfully
complete the two-year training have a better chance of being admitted to the
one-tier Architecture training and may gain time advantage by having their
previous studies in Beihai recognized and thus shortening the period of their
training.
Designated teachers at the
University of Pécs involved in the training:
Dr. Jin XIN, senior lecturer
Dr. Jin Xin is the lecturer overseeing visual communication and creative design skill-training courses (Animation, Digital graphics, media)
Prof. Dr. Ákos HUTTER full professor, architect
Professor Hutter teaches
architectural design and construction courses within the frames of the Pécs
Class training program.
Further lecturers at the
University of Pécs contributing to the training: Prof. Dr. Gabriella Medvegy,
Prof. Dr. Bálint Bachmann, Dr. András Greg, Dr. Tibor Dányi
2) „UP FEIT Scholarship of Excellence”
The two Universities established
the Scholarship of Excellence program for students in 2019. It is available to
3 students attending the training and may be awarded to the student(s) with the
best performance at the entrance examination. The aim of this project is to offer a
scholarship to students participating in the „Pécs Class Program” in order to motivate
them to provide an outstanding performance at the admission interview.
Interview with Zheng Nianyi,
Chairman of Beihai University of Art and Design (BUAD)
In partnership with: Beihai University of Art and Design (BUAD)
3) Silent Architecture Workshop Celebrates a Decade of Academic Collaboration
Students at Beihai University of Art and Design recently completed the two-week Silent Architecture workshop, an intensive international design program led by Prof. Dr. Ákos Hutter, Dr Erika Vörös, Júlia Bernadett Török, and Dr Jin Xin. The workshop was jointly organised by the Institute of Architecture of the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Pécs and Beihai University of Art and Design. This year's program was opened by Prof. Dr Gabriella Medvegy, Dean of the Faculty.
The workshop is part of a long-standing academic collaboration between the two institutions, which has successfully fostered educational and cultural exchange for ten years. Held annually, the course is taught by professors from both universities and has become a significant platform for international architectural education.
The workshop encourages students to explore the relationship between space, form, materiality, and human experience. Through research, conceptual design, sketching, digital modeling, and physical model-making, participants investigated the idea of “silent architecture” — architecture that communicates through essential spatial qualities rather than formal complexity.
A distinctive focus of this year's workshop was the exploration of concrete as a genuine structural material. Students examined the tectonic and sensory qualities of concrete and utilized it directly in the creation of their mock-up models. Rather than treating models as purely representational objects, the workshop encouraged participants to experiment with concrete as a material of construction, allowing them to gain firsthand experience with its weight, texture, form-making potential, and expressive architectural character.
The Silent Architecture workshop was complemented by an English for Design course, which provided targeted language support for the program. The language component focused on design-related vocabulary and communication skills, helping students discuss their ideas more effectively with the architecture professors and prepare a short English-language presentation, together with an accompanying PPT, about their own projects.
The two-week program concluded with a public exhibition and final presentations, where student teams showcased their design concepts through posters, digital visualizations, and physical models. The exhibition reflected both the creative achievements of the participants and the continuing success of the international partnership between the University of Pécs and Beihai University of Art and Design.
By combining theoretical inquiry, material experimentation, and intercultural collaboration, the Silent Architecture workshop continues to provide students with a unique educational experience and deeper insights into the fundamental nature of architecture.
