The School of Design holds high standards education quality by engaging frontier research and industrial explorations. The faculty members develop co-education with design enterprises to break down the “walls” between classrooms, labs, industry and society. Taking full advantage of the resources of the research university, the city and the Greater Bay region, the School equips the students with capabilities to study China and the world, to become prepared for future employment, and be competent to build our future.
The School features “studio teaching”. Through project-based learning, team-work, real-world scenarios, the School stresses research-based design, active learning and deep learning so as to enhance students’creative thinking, critical thinking and innovative design abilities. Based on students’own ideas and initiatives, design education emphasizes the abilities to propose, test and discuss ideas, to design for the real world, interdisciplinary cross-boundary design, mind/hand integration, systematic thinking and individual knowledge constructivism.
Established in April 2020, the School of Design at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) is known for its innovative education and draws on the strengths of this vibrant university, namely its depth in research, its vigor for innovation and entrepreneurship, and its disciplinary diversity. Enhanced by the resources in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area, the School of Design engages closely with the industry to establish a robust and structured collaboration that fosters and realizes design for the greater common good. Prof. Thomas KVAN, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, was selected as the founding dean.
Currently, the School of Design has built up a multi-disciplinary and international team of 15 members. They are from China, Germany, Denmark, Italy and South Korea, and with academic backgrounds in industrial design, interaction design, architecture, mathematics, materials, sound, philosophy, sociology， and psychology. The research achievements of the faculty include patents, publications, commercial design， cultural works， exhibitions, and etc. A series of “industry+design+technology” research results are developed by teams with the School students, aimed at inspiring the industry with design research and transferring cutting-edge science and technology into the future of the industry.
The School of Design distinguishes itself with a focus on design-driven innovation with command of science and technology. lt strives to propel industrial upgrading through research and meet the market demand of high-caliber designers through innovative education. The School features disciplinary integration; equally values excellent output in education, research, exhibition and technology transfer. It aims to become the cradle of innovative and creative talents, a base of knowledge transfer and a high-level think tank for the Greater Bay Area. The School is committed to the country's advocacy for the great power of quality by making efforts to enhance the internationalization and global impact of Shenzhen being “a City for innovation entrepreneurship and creativity", and better serve the goals of China to advance from made in China to designed in China, from China speed to China quality, and from Chinese product to Chinese brand.
The mission and contribution of design is to both learn from the past and also explore and create the unknown future. Designers have great social responsi bilities, for design outcomes immediately affect the users, which include human users, nature and all living beings. Designers must keep in mind and practice the principle of “Design for Good", and be responsible to the decisions they make at all levels. Beyond artistic representation, the practical applicability of design requires designers to have a solid grasp of science and technology.
The current campus of the School is located on the 3rd, 10th, and 11th floor of Building C1, Nanshan Zhiyuan, with a total of 4,229 square meters. Adjacent to the Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen University Town and other universities, Zhiyuan will introduce enterprises in key supporting fields including the Internet, biomedicine, new energy, and new materials. Benefiting from this geographical location, the School will establish close links with academia and industry in building a bridge between scientific research, manufacturing, and innovation.