Building on the Soil: SYN Architects’ Reflections and Practices on Rural Revitalization

New urbanization plays an essential role in improving population quality, increasing resource allocation efficiency, lifting labor productivity, and enhancing innovation vitality. It plays a key role in further tapping growth potential, promoting coordinated development, and improving development quality.

For this ESS, we are honored to have Yingxi Zou, an expert in the planning and design of new urbanization in China, as the guest speaker. As the founder of one of the earliest design companies to enter the rural field in China, Mr. Zou will share his trials and errors in rural practice over recent 10 years, as well as why his business gradually evolved from a single design to a full industrial chain model of planning, designing, and operating.

We look forward to your participation!

Yingxi Zou

Founder and Principle Architect of the SYN Architects

Yingxi Zou graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University) and the Berlin University of the Arts School of Architecture. As an architect who has been in the field of architecture and planning for over 20 years, Mr. Zou has made significant contributions to the planning and design of new urbanization projects, while establishing over 10 rural cafes, bookstores, markets, and lecture halls outside the design field, extending a whole set of services such as operation, training, resource introduction, and fund management.

As the founder and principle architect of SYN Architects, Mr. Zou focuses on the design of urban-rural integration and cultural tourism projects. He has participated in the design of projects such as the Longmen Grottoes Museum, a World Cultural Heritage site in China, the Beijing Yanjiao Campus of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Beijing 751 Art District Skywalk. In addition, projects he has presided over such as the Mafengwo Travel Network Headquarters Office Phase I & II, Jin Hai Lake Xiyuan Peninsula Resort Hotel, and Huajiantang Jiapu Collection have received high attention from worldwide professional media.