Hi, I am Dr. Yiqiu Liu (刘奕秋), an urban researcher, designer and architect. I am currently a research and teaching associate at TU Munich and research coordinator at ETH Zurich for the Swiss Network for International Studies project The Production of Cloud.

 

In 2023, I received my doctorate from the Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, where my dissertation was nominated for the ETH Medal. I hold a BA and MA in Architecture from Southeast University, China, with honors and distinction.​

 

My research traces peripheral urbanization processes beyond the city and develops vocabularies and methods that transcend Western-centric models, particularly through studying contemporary Beijing under the lens of planetary urbanization. 

 

Beyond academia, I am a practising architect and urban designer with experience across continents. Our Gunan Street revitalization project won two awards at the 2024 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. I have been a collaborator on several projects with Christian Kerez over the past 10 years. 

 

My academic and professional pursuits focus on establishing a critical theoretical and methodological framework, for posing questions, seeking answers, and sculpting a dynamic path between architecture design and urban research.