Students and academics from Tianjin University’s School of Architecture joined colleagues from UQ’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning for an immersive walking tour through Brisbane’s West End. The visit offered participants a chance to experience first-hand how contemporary Australian architects engage with subtropical design, adaptive reuse, and community-scale projects.
Led by Dr Paul Matthew the morning began at 15 Hove Street with a visit to the award winning Terrarium House by architect and UQ alum, John Ellway. The home’s inventive use of light, ventilation, and garden integration set the tone for a day focused on architecture that celebrates local climate, context and integration of architecture and nature.
From there, the group explored a series of small yet significant projects that captured the diversity of design approaches by UQ alumni within the West End and Highgate Hill area. Stops included the Highgate Hill Cottage by Atelier Chen Hung, a thoughtful extension of a traditional Queenslander; 192 Boundary Street, home to Russell With Co., which demonstrated creative adaptive reuse within a commercial streetscape; and 60 Granville Street, a compact residential project by Kirk showcasing clever design on a modest urban site.
The tour continued with a visit to the One Room Tower where Phorm Architecture Director Paul Hotston and UQ’s Associate Professor Silvia Micheli discussed the project’s conception and spatial experimentation. The group also visited the Atelier Chen Hung studio nearby, gaining an inside look at one of Brisbane’s leading contemporary practices.
Building Cross-Cultural Connections
The visit strengthened ongoing collaboration between UQ and Tianjin University, highlighting the value of shared learning and cultural exchange in architectural education.
“This visit is about sharing ideas and seeing how architectural thinking adapts to local conditions,” said Dr Silvia Micheli, Associate Professor at UQ. “Brisbane’s West End offers a living laboratory of inventive projects that respond to both community and climate.”
“For our students, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience subtropical architecture up close,” added Associate Professor Yilin Song from Tianjin University. “We were inspired by how Australian architects balance openness, aesthetics and environmental performance.”
Through walking, observing, and discussing projects in situ, the West End tour deepened the architectural dialogue between Brisbane and Tianjin – showing how design connects people, place, and culture.
