Founded in December 2020, the Ningbo Urban Memory Lab (NUML) could be a vivid example of this educational vision, and has consistently moved “beyond the classroom,” exploring boundaries of teaching and learning in architecture through real-world social engagement.

NUML: A “Third Space” for Architectural Learning from Classroom to City

Initiated by Dr Yat Ming Loo, Associate Professor in the ABE Department, NUML is a student-centred research and teaching platform. Up to now, NUML has engaged nearly one hundred undergraduate and doctoral students from architecture and related disciplines supported by FoSE’s Undergraduate Research Practices initiative. The platform focuses on the collection, representation, and renewal of urban memory, extending learning activities from campus into public urban spaces.

Through NUML, students are no longer passive recipients of disciplinary knowledge, but active participants and co-creators of urban narratives. By engaging with diverse urban landscapes and communities, NUML has built a bridge between campus and society, transforming the city itself into a living “laboratory” for learning.

To date, NUML has organised seventeen city walks, five public exhibitions, and numerous extended research activities, continuously demonstrating the possibilities of architectural education grounded in social engagement, and interdisciplinary innovation.

Exploring Architecture Across Boundaries: There Is More Than One Way to See the City

With the support of FoSE and ABE, NUML launched a series of interdisciplinary events during the first half of this year, centred around the launch of its new publication.

On 19 April, the dialogue event Beyond Seeing Cities was successfully held at Archipelago BOOKS at West Bund Dream Centre in Shanghai can became a vivid showcase of the architectural education of UNNC.

Integrated with the launch of NUML’s new publication Memory as Imagination: Reflections and Experiments in Representing Urban Memory, the event revolved around the central question: How do we see the city?

Ten guests from diverse fields — including architectural practice, community engagement, academic research, citywalk organisations, and UNNC Architecture and Built Environment students — gathered alongside more than sixty UNNC faculty members, students, and Shanghai residents. Through a public dialogue, a mini exhibition, and an urban walk, participants embarked on a collective exploration of urban perception, movement, and memory within a cross-cultural atmosphere and multi-perspective atmosphere. This was not just a book launch event, but a vivid embodiment of the educational achievements of UNNC’s Department of Architecture and Built Environment.

NUML’ publication Memory as Imagination: Reflections and Experiments in Representing Urban Memory is officially published in August 2025. The book consists of five sections of urban exhibitions, city walks, urban design, urban narratives, and the journey of exploring urban memory, systematically documenting NUML’s major activities and intellectual reflections from 2020 to 2024.

Reflecting NUML’s commitment to student-centred learning, inclusive dialogue, and deep social engagement, the publication highlights students’ creative works and reflections while incorporating extensive photographic documentation that vividly captures the unique learning landscape between “campus and society.”

In conjunction with World Book Day on 23 April, the themed book exhibition Cities, Nice to See You! opened at the public exhibition area on the first floor of the UNNC Library, which is co-organised by NUML, The Library, and FoSE ABE. Taking inspiration from three chapters of Memory is Imagination — urban walking, exhibitions, and narratives, the exhibition juxtaposes interdisciplinary books on urban studies from the library collection with the new published work, encouraging faculty members and students to observe cities intentionally, persistently, and curiously through reading, rediscovering the many fascinating ways cities can be seen and learned from. The exhibition is currently on view and will run until 21 May.

Following the book exhibition opening, ABE hosted dialogue activity of Beyond the Blueprint on 28 April, focusing on future architectural practice and professional prospects.

Moderated by Dr Yat Ming Loo, Dr Yucong Zhang, and Feiyue Chen from ABE, the event invited three guests of Hisham Youssef, Dr Helena Rong, and Yalun Li — graduated from institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Cornell University, and Columbia University – to share their professional experiences with UNNC students.

Starting from professional experiences and reflections, the discussion expanded conventional understandings of architectural practice beyond design itself, exploring interdisciplinary spatial practices such as media, exhibitions, curatorial work, and urban walking. Drawing on the concept of Spatial Agency, the dialogue examined how architectural thinking can generate creativity across diverse contexts. It also offered students broader perspectives beyond the market-oriented understanding of the profession, encouraging them to cultivate multiple skills and seek new possibilities amid ongoing changes and challenges.

The Multi-Dimensional Learning in Real-World Contexts

Notably, all above activities were collaboratively organised and conducted by ABE faculty and students. The mode demonstrates the ABE’s emphasis on cultivating students’ diverse skills and competencies:

Socially Engaged Learning and Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Students independently participated throughout the entire process of vary activities — from field research, content designing to event implementation, and ultimately contributing to academic publications. Through both on-campus and off-campus practice, students engaged in dialogue and collaboration with individuals from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, developing strong cross-cultural perspectives and public organisational abilities.

Critical Thinking and Humanistic Awareness Across Disciplines

Students’ reflections on cities and architectural spaces extended beyond physical forms into social, historical, and emotional dimensions. Through immersive experiences, they cultivated profound cultural awareness and critical thinking skills.

The Abe faculty and student team behind the events of Beyond Seeing Cities and Cities, Nice to See You!

Design Leads：Xinyi Li，Jichen Fan

Design Team Members：Danqi Ding，Jiayu Chen，Siyu Wen，Kai Lin， Jiang Jinag， Xiaolei Sun，Yanxi Wu，Yixin Shi

Supervisor：Dr Yat Ming Loo

Conclusion

ABE’s series of the events and NUML’s publication of Memory is Imagination, not only showcase the comprehensive capabilities of UNNC architecture students, but also demonstrate to both academia and industry that the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China is actively contributing to and shaping critical discussions on architectural education for the future through grounded yet innovative pedagogical practices.

Looking ahead, FoSE and ABE will continue supporting the development of creative teaching platforms in architecture, injecting lasting vitality into architectural education.