Zhicheng Xu

Zhicheng Xu is a Chinese architectural designer, educator, and researcher whose work examines the relationships among architecture, landscape, ecology, and material systems. He is cofounder of Hyperlocal and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Cornell University. Previously, he taught at the University of Virginia, Rice University School of Architecture, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His research examines how architecture can respond to changing ecological conditions by rethinking material sourcing, material use, land management, and relationships with non-human species. Working across buildings, landscapes, installations, and research, he investigates how ecological processes can inform architectural design, construction, and spatial practice.

Xu’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Porto Design Biennale, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, RMIT Design Hub, and the Center for Architecture in New York. His work has received awards from the Urban Land Institute, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Landscape Architecture Foundation, ASLA Indiana, and ASLA Boston.

Before founding Hyperlocal, Xu practiced with Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Sasaki Associates in Boston, and Ecosistema Urbano in Madrid. He holds a Master of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Purdue University.