The 2024 China Residential Environment Design Annual Award Academic Forum was hosted by the College of Home and Art Design at Northeast Forestry University on June 29. It took place in Academic Lecture Hall 116 of the Forest Science Building.

The forum was attended by Li Ming, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Residential Environment Design Annual Award Committee; leaders and representatives of Environmental Design programs from universities across the three northeastern provinces; Sun Pengjiu, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Heilongjiang Province Interior Decoration Association; and relevant department heads and leaders from NEFU’s College of Home and Art Design. Shao Zhuofeng, Director of the Environmental Design Department at the College of Home and Art Design, chaired the forum.

Zhang Jiawei, Deputy Director of the Undergraduate School and Director of the Quality Management and Evaluation Center emphasized that Northeast Forestry University is committed to continuously optimizing its teaching system, enhancing quality, and advancing educational reform. The goal is to cultivate outstanding talents with international perspectives and practical skills.

Song Yongming, Dean of the College of Home and Art Design, expressed the hope that the forum would foster collaboration among universities, driving progress and innovation in residential design. This, in turn, would inject new vitality into the local creative design industry.

Li Ming provided an overview of the annual award’s history and recent developments, its prestige, the primary evaluation processes, and the schedule for this year’s awards. He also introduced the expert panel of judges specializing in urban, architectural, landscape, and interior design.

At the forum, prominent scholars, including Professor Shao Jian from the China Academy of Art, Professor Song Limin from Tsinghua University, Professor Tang Jian from Dalian University of Technology, Professor Zhu Xun from Harbin Institute of Technology, Professor Xi Tianyu from Northeastern University, Professor Zuo Yan from Tongji University, Professor Liu Jia from Jiangnan University, and Associate Professor Shao Zhuofeng from Northeast Forestry University, delivered keynote presentations.

Students and faculty representatives conducted face-to-face discussions with the experts after the academic reports. They conducted in-depth discussions on the future direction of the environmental design profession and the opportunities and challenges environmental design departments face in Chinese universities. They also shared successful cases and valuable experiences in educational reform within the field. Experts also suggested better resource integration, improving teaching quality, and incorporating innovative concepts and practices into education. This exchange not only strengthened cooperation and communication among universities but also provided new ideas and momentum for the future development of the environmental design profession.

During the event, the 2024 China Residential Environment Design Annual Award Exhibition was displayed in the first-floor gallery of the College of Home and Art Design.