"Come and take a photo of me! Get this building in. It's so distinctive!" On April 15, students of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University erected their elaborately designed architectural works at Ciqikou Backstreet, Shapingba District, attracting many visitors.

At Ciqikou Backstreet, Shapingba District, students of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University are putting up their elaborately designed architectural works. (Photo/Chongqing University)

"How do such foam boards be used to build a 'house'?" "A pavilion built with wooden slats like this must be a popular spot in tourist attractions!" While taking photos, visitors also stopped to comment on these works.

The Construction Season of Chongqing University is part of the Course Materials and Construction for students at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning. 

"The construction season has been held for ten consecutive years, and this is the third year the event has been held off campus to the public," said Xie Hui, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning. Xie introduced that the previous two sessions were held at Shancheng Alley and Baixiang Street, respectively, in Yuzhong District; this session chose Ciqikou, which is crowded with visitors, and invited students majoring in architecture and design at Chongqing Jiaotong University and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute to participate for the first time, providing a platform for students from the three sides to compete and learn from each other.

There are 21 teams composed of first-year students (enrolled in 2022) from seven classes of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University and four teams from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and Chongqing Jiaotong University. The two sides used polypropylene (PP) hollow sheets and timber to build fantastic new "worlds" on a scale of 1:1.

"It took us ten people nearly six hours from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m." Wei Shixuan, a freshman from Class 4 of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University, introduced the team's work He Li (lit. "A Standing Crane"). Inspired by the hyperbolic paraboloid, the team used nearly 90 battens of different lengths to build an architectural landscape resembling a flying "fairy crane." Under the sunset, the junctions of the battens will present unique light and shadow effects, with the bright parts looking like lights.

"Styling alone is not enough. The space of a building is ultimately to serve people." Adhering to this concept, the team designed overhanging eaves for the work with a nearly four-meter height and set aside three entrances/exits for visitors to walk in. Entering the model, the space changes from narrow to wide.

Xuan Jing (lit. "Suspended Mirror") was designed by students from Chongqing Jiaotong University. (Photo/Chongqing University)

"We named our work 'Suspended Mirror.' Inspired by 'The Twist,' a building twisting into a sculptural form, we spent four weeks designing and erecting our work." According to Zhang Wei, a student from Chongqing Jiaotong University, this work, featuring "anti-gravity," only uses one sling to bear the weight of the upper half of the building. The students want to show the beauty of the design and use of the architectural space.

"Because of the hardness of the material, we were all mentally prepared for the failure of the model building, but we finally made it." Zhang Wei said that everyone was very excited today. This is the first work they have completed in their professional field, and the success made them more confident.