Studying architecture in China - Aleksandra Debicka on living and studying in Guangzhou

Aleksandra Debicka -.
podcast #12 of the series "Foundations"

The episode and the entire series are also available on Soundcloud and Spotify:

Is it possible to learn architecture in a place where the scale, pace and approach to design are completely different than in Europe? In the 12th episode of the "Foundations" podcast, we recall a conversation with Aleksandra Debicki, a young architect studying at Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou (Guangzhou), who undertook her studies in the heart of China.

This is a story of courage, openness and a clash with a different architectural reality - with intense urbanism, the presence of nature and an awareness of space that cannot be compared to any other place.

why China in particular?

Aleksandra Debicka had a choice - she could have studied in Tianjin, she could have returned to Poland. She decided on Guangzhou, one of China's five largest and most influential cities, a place of great contrasts, where modern real estate development clashes with colonial architecture and traditional Chinese construction.

With a population of more than 16 million people, the city has become not only a place of study for her, but also an architectural laboratory. Guangzhou's harbor character and its openness to the world make its urban fabric remarkably diverse - from European zones to multi-story skyscrapers to older parts of the city immersed in greenery.

Education: systemic differences and urban planning as a separate art

Studying architecture in China takes much longer - up to eight years. Aleksandra Debicka talks about what the education program looks like, the relationship between theory, technique, and practice. Urban planning is not an add-on here, but a full-fledged field, to which a lot of time, analysis and workshops are devoted.

An interesting part of her experience is working with a professor-urbanist, whose passion inspires a deeper understanding of urban structures - including those that are chaotic, multi-scalar and not always orderly. As Aleksandra Debicka says, it is Guangzhou that becomes an informal textbook of urban planning: its layering, growth and transformations show the rhythm of development, which is difficult to understand without experiencing it directly.

Contact with lecturers, atmosphere and cross-cultural exchange

Despite cultural differences, the atmosphere at the university is positive and the relationship with the instructors is uplifting. Aleksandra Debicka emphasizes that the lecturers are engaged, open, responsive to students' needs and try to provide support even outside the classroom.

This relationship works both ways - the Chinese are curious about the European approach to design, and foreign students, like the young architect from Poland, absorb local specifics, a different way of thinking about space, nature and function. The collaboration is conducted in English, and the university also offers mandatory Chinese lessons, which, while demanding, are a valuable addition to the educational experience.

Nature present everywhere: greenery as an element of identity

Guangzhou is sometimes called the city of flowers - and for good reason. Aleksandra Debicka talks about how vegetation pervades the entire city: in pots, on overpasses, between buildings, on campus. Greenery here is not an add-on, but an integral part of the space - illuminated at night, nurtured, treated with great respect.

It's also a cultural element - a reflection of the Chinese approach to nature as alive and coexisting with humans. As Aleksandra Debicka says, all this shapes a different type of architectural sensibility - closer to the body, emotions and environment.

Student life in Guangzhou: between campus and karaoke

Guangdong University's campus is located in the center of the city and, interestingly, its space is open to all residents. From early morning you can hear children laughing, practicing tai chi, and neighbors talking. In such conditions, student life has a completely different rhythm - more communal, immersed in the urban everyday life.

Aleksandra Debicka also talks about how the intense climate (in summer even 48°C!) affects the daytime schedule - the city only comes alive in the evenings. This is when there is time for meetings, cafes, walks, exploration of the urban fabric, but also karaoke - very popular in Chinese culture.

balance: between learning and discovery

Classes are divided into two parts of the day with a long break. This makes it easier to find time for one's own passions, exploring the city or simply relaxing. Aleksandra Debicka admits that the ritual of discovering new parts of Guangzhou is her way of airing her head and taking a fresh look at design.

China's subway runs smoothly despite the crowds, the city is safe and well connected - all conducive to free movement and exploring architecture on a 1:1 scale.

The future: graduate in China, work in Hong Kong?

The university offers the possibility of defending a master's degree locally, and instructors often suggest Hong Kong as the next stage of development - a place of even greater international importance, offering more professional opportunities.

Aleksandra Debicka stresses that studying in China changes one's perspective - it teaches humility in the face of scale, sensitivity to context, and encourages architecture that responds to different needs than those known in Europe.

It's also learning about purity of form, the need to simplify, and the pursuit of functional harmony - all immersed in a completely different, dynamic, often unpredictable world.

architecture as a multi-sensory experience

This episode is not only a story about the university and life in China. It is also a testimony to the fact that architecture is an experience - emotional, social and sensual.

Aleksandra Debicka shows how a trip to the other side of the world can change not only professional paths, but also the way you see space - teaching sensitivity, attentiveness and courage in design.

Aleksandra Skorupa

Maria Cipinska

Listen also to other podcasts
from the "Foundations" series:

1. Maciej Czekański ostażu wbureau APA Wojciechowski in Warsaw.

2. Lukasz Danilczuk ostudy of architecture in Brussels, Budapest and Warsaw

3. Magdalena Raźny on her stay at the Bella Interior University in Covilhi

4. Julia Supeł on combining architecture and construction studies, designing on Mars and in Iceland

5. Aleksandra Magiera and Adam Stalica about internships abroad, post-industrial architecture and discovering their own professional paths

6. Marcelina Rojkowska on art studies, the job market and balancing passion and reality

7. Aleksandra Boszke on studying abroad, cultural differences and courage in space design

8. From Gliwice to Horsens - about technical, sustainable and flexible architecture. Erasmus through the eyes of Magdalena Majsak

9. "Interior design is it" - Julia Chomiczewska about studying interior architecture at Poznan University of Technology.

10. Body, material, emotion. How does Mikolaj Hewelt design spaces that touch?

11. What is architecture if not emotions? Kacper Bernat on the challenges of studying and working as an architect