The project

Sketch of the Joint School. Credits: Pierluigi Salvadeo

The Joint School

The Joint School of Design and Innovation, inaugurated in Xi’an (China) on 7 September 2019, is Polimi’s first campus outside Italy.The Joint School is an international platform dedicated to education and research, technology transfer and business incubation.

Objectives

Combining Italian creative and multidisciplinary approach with Chinese expertise in large-scale engineering projects, the School pursues the following goals:

• delivering innovative and interdisciplinary study programs

• providing new academic opportunities for young researchers worldwide

• promoting joint research projects between the academia and the industry

• training entrepreneurs in key technology sectors

The building

The Joint School is hosted ina smart building designed by Polimi architects. The building is composed by two main structures: a single-story volume and a corner tower. In the former a series of working environments called “laboratories” alternate with open “patios”. This spatial organization is designed to encourage dialogue among people and collaboration across disciplines. Reflecting the same concept, the tower is crossed diagonally by a central open space which allows communications among different floors.

Polimi and Xi’an Jiaotong University(XJTU)

The Joint School of Design and Innovation is the result of a long-term cooperation between Politecnico di Milano (Polimi) and Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) started in 2007 in the field of Electrical Engineering and which has led to the establishment of mobility programmes in all Politecnico’s disciplines (engineering, architecture and design).

The School is located inside the new Xi’an Jiaotong University campus, in a technological district calledWestern China Science and Technology Innovation Harbour (iHarbour).

iHarbour hosts also the office ofthe University Alliance of the Silk Road, launched by XJTU in 2015. The Alliance, which comprises around 150 universities, is a global network with the purpose of developing synergies among the countries associated with the New Silk Road, through research cooperation and cultural exchanges. Polimi has been appointed UASR President for two consecutive years starting from January 2020.