On October 5, 2020, the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the Creative Europe programme of the European Union jointly announced the final winners of the 2020 Young Talent Architecture Award (YTAA).

This competition received 382 projects submitted by more than 155 academic institutes related to architecture, landscape and planning research. Among the 23 shortlisted works in the Asian Edition, 11 works were from China, including 3 from Tianjin University, ranking first in the number. In the final selection for nine candidate works, two entries from Tianjin University were shortlisted, still ranking first in Asia and gaining the final grand award.

The final was held online on October 5, and Momoyo Kaijima, Principal of Atelier Bow-Wow, Tokyo, Japan, was invited as the chairman of the jury committee. In this final, the entry "The Wall: Xiamutang Children's Restaurant” designed by TJU’s architecture student Ma Peiquan, Liu Yuan, Cheng Jing, Liang Yuxuan, and Li Ziang under the supervision of their teachers including Yang Wei, Hu Yike, Wang Zhigang and Sun Delong won the first prize of the first Asian Edition of YTAA 2020. The entry "Plan for Kulangsu" by TJU student Wang Zhixuan and Wu Shaoji with Xu Zhen, Zhang Xinnan, Hu Yike, and Xin Shanchao as their tutors was also shortlisted in the top nine of the Asian Edition of YTAA.

YTAA, as (inherent) part of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture –  Mies van der Award Rohe, is organized by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the Creative Europe program of the European Union. It is also supported by the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE-CAE) the World Architects and the European Cultural Centre in Venice.

The YTAA aims to support talents among young Architects, Urban Planners and Landscape Architects, who will be responsible for transforming our environment in the future.

The champion work of this YTAA -"The Wall: Xiamutang Children's Restaurant" was jointly completed by the School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), and Scarcity and Creativity Studio (SCS). In 38 days, students from 14 countries and two top architectural schools made joint efforts to design and build a "children's theme restaurant" based on the rich children's industry in Xiamutang.

By the School of Architecture

Editor: Eva Yin