Second-year architecture student Hai Long Wang Pole didn’t just imagine what architecture could look like - he built it.
For UQ’s 2025 Open Day, Hai Long led the design and delivery of a striking installation for the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, working closely with FARM Architects and UQ’s marketing team. A series of roof-framed structures took centre stage, inviting visitors to walk through, look closer, and rethink what architecture really means to them.
“The uni has been incredibly trusting, letting a student drive the design process,” Hai Long said. “From working with manufacturers to coordinating with marketing, it’s been a tangible project from start to finish.”
Inspired by the classic roofline silhouette, the timber frames hint at the form and function of a house - while deliberately exposing what usually stays hidden. Think X-ray walls - a glimpse into the structural guts of architecture, revealing the decisions, compromises, and creativity behind the scenes.
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“I wanted to showcase the design process, not just the polished end result,” Hai Long explained. “It’s a playful typology that tries to speak to the history of the Zelman Cowen Building behind it - which is the home of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning & co-habited by Music - but also gives people a peek into the internals of a house.”
The project came with all the complexities of a real client design process. Hai Long worked with FARM Architectural founder and CEO, Ben Tait and liaised with UQ’s Senior Lecturer in Design and Built Environment, Dr Fred Fialho Leandro Alves Teixeira, alongside Helen Burdon from UQ’s marketing team to balance creative intent with practical constraints - budget, terrain, and the desire to reuse ADP’s modular panels for future exhibitions.
“The process is iteration based, trying to translate what UQ wanted into something that worked for the site, the budget, and the brief. It’s been incredibly exciting, frustrating, and exactly the kind of challenge that prepares you for practice.”
But for Hai Long, the installation is about more than materials and structure - it’s about people.
“I wanted to expose the basics to the incoming high school students, to display that which isn’t normally shown”. “Most people have no idea what goes on inside the walls of their homes, this was an effort to prompt that thought from those that might study architecture one day”.
As visitors moved through the installation on Open Day, examining the structure, stepping into the spaces, and engaging with the details, they experienced firsthand how architectural ideas take physical form. It was a clear reminder that at UQ, students don’t just study architecture, they have the opportunity to build it, shape it, and share it.
Discover more about UQ’s Bachelor of Architectural Design, a program that combines creative thinking with hands-on experience in design studios. Learn how you can choose one of three majors – Design Thinking, Sustainable Buildings, or Urban Systems – to tailor your studies to suit your interests. The degree provides a strong foundation in architectural design and is the pathway to further study in the Master of Architecture.
