Founded in 1999, under the leadership of partners Xiaodu Liu, Yan Meng and Hui Wang, Urbanus is recognized as one of the most influential architecture practices in China. More than a design practice, Urbanus is also a think tank. It aims at formulating architectural strategy from the urban environment in general and the ever changing urban conditions. Urbanus always focuses on urban realities in China and seeks architectural solutions based on its research of the emerging urban problems.
Urbanus has completed a series of design projects featuring various scales and functions, which cover the range from cultural (Dafen Art Museum, OCT Art & Design Gallery, Tangshan Urban Planning Museum，Tangshan Museum, Shanghai Expo 2010 Shenzhen Case Pavilion, Luohu Creative Culture Plaza), civic (Nanshan Marriage Registration Center, Shenzhen Planning Building), and residential architecture (Tulou Collective Housing, Maillen Hotel & Apartment), to new urban public space(Dongmen Photography Plaza, Jade Bamboo Cultural Plaza, Sungang Central Plaza), renovation of old urban area(OCT Loft Renovation), and Large-scale urban complexes（Shenzhen Metro Headquarters Tower，CGN Headquarters Building）. The works of Urbanus, unique while preserving original urban fabric, have been awarded numerous prestigious architecture prizes, exhibited and published worldwide. The partners are regularly invited to lecture at renowned universities and academies and to be jurors for international competitions. The works of Urbanus have drawn international attention due to the company’s sensitivity to urban historical and social structure, integration of potential resources of space and society, and effectiveness in responding to the complicated urban environment.
Urbanus is now developing and extending its existing design and research platform, and exploring opportunities for international and multidisciplinary collaborations. The Urbanus Research Bureau (URB), which is primarily concerned with urban research,focuses on the contemporary urban China phenomenon to conduct a series of research projects, including: creative city development, post-urban village development, typologies for hyperdensity and others.
