The Peter Guohua Fu International Education Center of Architecture and Urbanism was inaugurated at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) of Tongji University on Monday, marking another step for Tongji towards global education in architecture and urban design.

As a Tongji alumnus who graduated in 1984, Fu also serves as a professor at the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture of McGill University, Canada, and has founded KFS Architects Inc.

The Peter Guohua Fu International Architectural Education Fund of Tongji University opened alongside the center.

Fu, an influential practitioner in art and architecture, has dedicated his life to advancing educational and cultural exchanges between China and Canada.

He was awarded the Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award in 2021, and the newly launched education center will go a long way toward facilitating in-depth and extensive cooperation in architectural education.

Wang Zhendong, CAUP Party secretary, noted that the new center is a major effort by the college to pool its international resources to expand globally.

Wang believes that the center will become a new hub in architectural education between China and other countries due to the college's staunch support, steady international cooperation, and the cultivation of innovative talent in all fields.

Deep Saini, president of McGill University in Canada, extended his congratulations through a video and letter. Saini pointed out that the new center, as another success in China-Canada educational exchanges, will help promote learning and sharing in architectural culture and education worldwide, aiding in cross-cultural understanding and teamwork in innovation.

Wang Lan, dean of DAUP, praised Fu for his contributions to architectural education and practice. Wang Lan added that, given its strengths and international reputation in related disciplines, the college will use the center as a pivotal platform to launch high-quality English-taught courses that will attract young scholars and students from abroad as the college expands its global network for academic exchanges and research.

Fu recalled fondly his studies at Tongji and his long-term academic cooperation with McGill, adding that while setting up the center was a way to show his gratitude for his alma mater, he also hopes to build a long-term platform facilitating academic exchanges from a global perspective.

Hopefully, he said, it would help foster a new generation of talented architects and urban designers who are globally competitive, possessing a broad worldview while remaining deeply connected to their indigenous cultures.

The college awarded Fu a letter of appointment as a professor during the formal launch of the fund and the center.

There was also a photo exhibition to celebrate Fu's "The Stories Behind 100 Designs," with scholars discussing trends in architectural education. The enthusiastic response drawn from both the faculty and the students testified to the college's commitment to the cultivation of talent at the frontier of the fields.