On 8th December 2023, Professor Maurizio Meriggi from the School of Architecture of Politecnico di Milano came to our institute for academic exchange at 2:30pm and gave a lecture in the International Lecture Hall on the 6th floor of the School of Architecture of Tianjin University. Special guests of this lecture are Prof Han Linfei from School of Architecture and Art, Beijing Jiaotong University, Prof Yang Wei, Vice Dean of School of Architecture, Tianjin University, and Ms Cao Yuxin, Associate Researcher, and it is hosted by Prof Wang Lijun, Director of Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Tianjin University.

Part1 Speaker Introduction:

Lecture Topic: Pisa Citadel. Designing in the periphery of a historical city centre Pisa Citadel: Designing in the periphery of a historical city centre

Speaker: Maurizio Meriggi

Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano

Deputy Director of the Department of Urban Design, Director of International Relations Studies, Faculty of Architecture, Politecnico di Milano

Professor at the International School of Architecture, Moscow

Member of the Scientific Council of the IUAV

Visiting Professor, Moscow University of Architecture (1997)

Visiting Professor, Peking University (2015)

Part2 Lecture Review:

Before the lecture, Prof Wang Lijun, Head of the Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Tianjin University, and Prof Han Linfei, School of Architecture and Art, Beijing Jiaotong University, introduced Prof Maurizio Meriggi and his main research interests. The theme of the lecture was "The Fortress of Pisa - Designing the Periphery of a Historic City Centre".

Professor Meriggi firstly introduced the background of Pisa, including its urban history, geographical location, religion and culture, etc., to draw people's attention to the Leaning Tower of Pisa when mentioning Pisa to a wider scope, and to provide sufficient research results to support the subsequent research and design of Pisa's fortress. Afterwards, the professor conducted a modal analysis of the plan, elevation, section and detail of many classic buildings in Pisa, exploring the geometric proportions, design rhythms and architectural rhythms of the buildings. On the topic of the design of the perimeter of the Pisa Fortress, Professor Meriggi led several groups of students in a practical architectural activity to investigate the design of the bridge in front of the Pisa Fortress, and the professor shared some of the students' design proposals, which fully confirmed the practical value of this practical activity. Finally, Prof Meriggi shared some academic results related to the content of this lecture. Through this lecture, students and teachers have gained a fuller understanding of the city of Pisa and its architecture, as well as a deeper understanding of the research theme of peripheral design in historic city centres.

Academic presentation by Prof Maurizio Meriggi

Prof Maurizio Meriggi interacting with students on stage

Part3 Q&A session:

At the end of the lecture, students and teachers actively asked Professor Maurizio Meriggi questions about the comparison between Pisa and some Chinese cities, the openness of buildings to the public, the application of architectural modelling methods, the impact of the leaning of the Leaning Tower of Pisa on urban and architectural practice, etc. Professor Meriggi answered the questions from both practical and theoretical perspectives, which brought the activity to a successful conclusion. Professor Meriggi answered the questions from both practical and theoretical perspectives, bringing the event to a successful conclusion.

Academic Question Session

Group photo of seminar participants

Part4 Exchange Session:

After the lecture, Prof. Maurizio Meriggi and several teachers from the School of Architecture of Tianjin University had a friendly exchange on the teaching mode and future co-operation between Tianjin University and Politecnico di Milano and other related matters.

Professors exchanged views on the mode of teaching and co-operation between the two schools after the meeting