The Transitional Morphology Research Unit (TRANS. Mo), the Joint Research Group of Progressive Morphology co-chaired by Professor Marco Trisciuoglio from the School of Architecture of Turin Polytechnic University and Bao Li, Associate Dean of the School of Architecture of Southeast University organized a summer camp (2018TRANS. Mo/ Summer School: Morphological Studies & Alpine Valleys Settlements) with the theme of Morphological Research and Reunification of Alpine Village Settlements from July 2 to 18. A total of 20 Ph.D., graduate and undergraduate students from Turin Polytechnic University, Polytechnic University of Milan and Southeast University participated in the camp. Marco Trisciuoglio, Michela Rosso, Michela Barosio and Simone Devoti, etc. from Turin Polytechnic University, Professors Bao Li, Deng Hao and Wu Jinxiu, etc. from Southeast University served as full-time academic leaders and mentors. Besides, six Chinese and Italian professors were invited to give lectures, classes, visits and paper defences.
Activities in the Summer Camp were carried out in two phases. From July 3 to 9, teachers and students in the Camp visited seven Italian towns including Como, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Lucca and Genoa, etc.. They learnt, through lectures, visits, sketches and a series of small exercises, the evolution of Italian traditional urban texture and the motivation behind during different periods of time to study the theory and analysis methods of urban morphological typology, and explore how to link the city's past to the future by means of the theory and method of “derivative morphology”. From July 10 to 18, teachers and students in the Camp stationed in the Winter Olympic Village in Turin. Based on the field research on the mountainous village of the Susa Valley in the Alps, the design was carried out and renewed, and finally three design strategies from different entry points were proposed from the perspectives of economy, industry, landscape, architecture, style and feature, etc.. The design strategies from different entry points have been well received by judges and highly recognized by the local government. This event was followed and reported by the Italian local media and achieved sound academic and social benefits.
In June 2018, an interschool cooperation agreement was formally entered into among three renowned universities, namely, Southeast University, Cafoscari University of Venice and Polytechnic University of Milan, etc.. This Summer Camp was exactly held under the framework of this agreement and was supported by the Sino-Italian International Cooperation Research Program, which was jointly applied by Turin Polytechnic University and Southeast University and thus approved in 2017.
