Echobuild: Youth Architects of Belonging

“EchoBuild” is a community-based interactive exhibition centered on the theme of everyday life. As a key component of the senior-year design studio curriculum at NJFU, the project represents a phased outcome of landscape architecture’s intervention in alleviating community tensions.

The exhibition was initiated as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Suojin community which with long-standing ties to NJFU. Jointly curated by the university’s design teaching team and the local kindergarten, the project mobilized 36 students and engaged 30 families as co-creators throughout the entire design and exhibition process.

During the two-month preparation period, over 400 children and their families participated in portrait drawing activities, and 37 families donated used suitcases for creative reuse. Local participation extended to over 50 shop owners who lent chests, and a community supermarket contributed 3 trolleys and 4 chairs. Twenty-one eateries shared regionally distinctive food stories and spatial memories.

The project transformed both indoor and outdoor spaces, incorporating personal items to reveal overlooked aspects of daily community life and highlight individual perspectives on communal values. The exhibition remained open for 21 days, featured four themed events, attracted coverage from 8 official media outlets and over 20 institutional/social media platforms, and welcomed more than 3,500 visitors.

“EchoBuild” demonstrated the potential of landscape architecture as a process-oriented actor, activating endogenous community dynamics and fostering inclusive public spaces through collaborative thinking. As an educational endeavor, it also provided a real-world model of socially engaged design pedagogy, underscoring the multifaceted value of academic involvement in community-making.