Recently, the 2025 Prix Versailles Awards Ceremony was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. Designed by Professor Ruan Xing, Dean of the School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), together with his team, the SJTU Design Building stood out among global entries. It was selected as the only Asian campus building featured in the list of the World’s Most Beautiful Campuses and was awarded one of the three highest honors of the Prix Versailles—the Special Prize for an Interior—in recognition of its outstanding architectural design and spatial innovation. Notably, it is the first Chinese university campus building to receive one of the Prix Versailles’ three top awards since the prize category was established.
Yu Chaoyang, Member of the Standing Committee of the SJTU Party Committee and Director of the Publicity Department, together with Professor Ruan Xing, the architect of the Design Building, Dean of the School of Design, and Guangqi Chair Professor, attended the award ceremony by invitation and accepted the honor on behalf of the University.
Photos from the award ceremony
In his acceptance speech, Professor Ruan Xing expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the design team. He noted that the recognition as one of the World’s Most Beautiful Campus Buildings would contribute positively to enhancing the University’s reputation and brand image. More profoundly, he emphasized the importance of acknowledging the organizers of the award for their courage in affirming and celebrating the value of beauty in the world we share. “Beauty,” he remarked, “is indispensable precisely because it is the crystallization of ethics and aesthetics working together.”
The Prix Versailles Jury commented: “The renovation of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Design Building transcends the constraints of the original structure, creating a new space that has already become a campus landmark. Inspired by the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ in classical Song Dynasty paintings, the lobby integrates ‘repairable and replaceable’ engineered timber structures with the existing concrete framework. The wooden skylight above the lobby creates an atmosphere of dignity befitting an academic hall…”
The Prix Versailles Annual Prize, together with the Special Prize for an Interior and the Special Prize for an Exterior, constitutes the core honors of the Prix Versailles Awards, which aim to recognize the diverse values embodied in outstanding architectural works worldwide. The Special Prize for an Interior focuses on interior spatial design—including layout, materials, lighting, and decoration—honoring projects that enhance user experience and create distinctive atmospheres through innovative interior design.
At the opening of the award ceremony, Irina Bokova, Chair of the Jury and former Director-General of UNESCO, stated:
“The Prix Versailles guides us beyond a purely aesthetic assessment, viewing architecture and design as forces that shape our living environments. It invites us to evaluate creativity from two dimensions: not only the courage to innovate, but also the integrity of design—its ability to respond to cultural contexts, enhance community vitality, and contribute deeply to a sustainable future. Architecture does not merely define skylines or drive urban development; it shapes society.”
This honor represents not only international recognition of the architectural achievement of the Design Building, but also an affirmation of its harmonious integration with the campus environment, its contemporary expression of local culture, and its commitment to sustainability. Guided by the philosophy of “Grand Design,” the School of Design has positioned campus architecture as a carrier of education and culture. Professor Ruan Xing describes the Design Building as a “House-Society · Urban Home.” Since its opening, the building has subtly nurtured students through its architectural beauty while serving as a shared campus forum that transcends disciplinary boundaries and interpersonal barriers—a true “home” for all SJTU members. It exemplifies Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s educational philosophy of “educating through aesthetics and cultivating through culture” in the pursuit of high-quality campus development.
▲Opening Ceremony of the SJTU Design Building © Yuan Su
▲Lobby of the SJTU Design Building © Su Shengliang
The Prix Versailles was established in 2015 by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA). Using an expert nomination system, an international jury selects outstanding architectural works from around the world. Jury members come from diverse professional fields, with the full list announced at the award ceremony and subsequently published online to ensure transparency and fairness. The 2025 Jury included: Irina Bokova (Chair), Portuguese actress and director Maria de Medeiros, Argentine conceptual artist Leandro Erlich, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Chinese architect Ma Yansong, American Pritzker Prize–winning architect Thom Mayne, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, and British actress Emma Watson.
The Prix Versailles features eight categories, including airports, campuses, passenger terminals, sports venues, museums, commercial spaces, hotels, and restaurants. In the 2025 edition, numerous landmark projects by world-renowned architects and studios received top honors, such as the Gadigal Metro Station in Sydney, designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Norman Foster, and the KAFD Metro Station in Saudi Arabia, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Source: Official website of the Prix Versailles; School of Design
Editors: Members of the “Four Strengths in Action” Initiative
School of Design: Huo Jingyi, Xie Jingyao
Responsible Editor: Chen Yuyang
Chief Editor: Jin Xue
Translated by: Rebecca
Proofread by：Zara
