Recently, a collaborative research project “Chinese and German Architecture Project Comparison” between Shenzhen Technology University Business School (SZTU BS) and Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg / DHBW) successfully concluded. This is a student led project that students and advising professors from both schools have worked closely together. Since its official launch in December 2022, the project has been well received by all members. It encourages cross-border collaboration between BS students and professors. The main task of the project was to analyze the technical and management characteristics of the construction projects of the two universities through field interviews and research, in order to provide evidence to describe what is “Shenzhen speed” and how it differs from the German model.
Figure 1. Project Kickoff Meeting (from left to right, top to bottom: DHBW student members Florian Dietsche, Moritz Meyer, Jannik Nissen, SZTU BS advisor Associate Professor Hao Chen, DHBW student member Jakob Wetter, DHBW advisors Prof. Sebastian Richter and Prof. Erich Heumüller, SZTU BS student members International Business 2021 cohort Xuan Xuan Lin, Yuhao He and Shiyi Chen)
Project Overview
The project was initiated by the advisors from both schools. Student members from China and Germany were later interviewed and selected. The research project focused on the process of designing, constructing, and managing campus architecture projects in both universities. Through field research and desktop research, the team explored the characteristics, similarities, and differences between those projects and analyze the key influencing factors. Under the guidance of their advisors, the students worked as a team to lead the whole process, e.g., designing the research plan, implementing the research design, collecting and analyzing data, as well as writing the report. Through regular online discussions, the students overcame various difficulties and challenges. They not only gained project insights but also established a strong friendship.
SZTU BS Student Feedback
(Yuhao He, International Business 2021, Class 3)
In the course of the project, it was inevitable to encounter some challenges as it was a cross-culture collaboration. Both Chinese and German members did their best to overcome such difficulties. In the process I learnt a lot, including how to communicate more effectively, how to cope with cultural differences, etc. It was also very challenging and interesting to participate in the offline interviews with the architects and managers under the guidance of prof. Hao Chen, as I had to interview the interviewees and communicate with the German members online at the same time! The project experience was very valuable to me and I have grown a lot. I hope to have more opportunities to participate in international exchanges in the future, and I am very grateful to prof. Hao Chen and the Business School for providing me with this valuable opportunity!
(XuanXuan Lin, International Business 2021, Class 2)
This project was a new form of collaboration that we had never experienced before, as we came from different countries and communicated through emails, group chats or webinars. I experienced difficulties with language, time difference and cultural exchange, but we did our best to overcome them and try to reach to agreements. The project was about campus architecture, an area of interest to me, and there was a lot of documents and materials to translate and collate. Through the process I found out that I enjoy and am good at translating such materials. The most interesting part of the collaboration was the small talks before each meeting, which made me feel very close as friends. It was a very fruitful collaboration and I hope there will be more opportunities for exchange in the future.
(Shiyi Chen, International Business 2021, Class 3)
It was a great honor to participate in this joint project between SZTU BS and DHBW. During the collaboration with the German members, I deeply felt their rigorous and practical research attitude, and I was very happy to work two partners from the BS. I was responsible for the creation of shared documents, but due to technical issues, I was unable to find a suitable platform for the team. My teammates helped me to find a platform that could be used by both Chinese and German members, which solved the problem. All in all, I am very happy to have met everyone through this project and I am very grateful to our School for this valuable experience.
DHBW Student Feedback
We appreciate the opportunity to share our feelings about this project as German students. As a group of four, we all agree that this project was a challenging yet rewarding experience. We encountered various obstacles along the way, including difficulties with signing into the messenger app WeChat, scheduling meetings despite time zone differences, and conducting interviews with experts because of the language barrier. However, we were able to overcome these obstacles through effective communication and teamwork.
As a team, we acknowledge that we have several key takeaways besides the valuable insights we gained about the “Shenzhen Speed” and your University from this project. We enjoyed working in such a dedicated and talented team and were particularly impressed with the level of organization and efficiency demonstrated by our collaborators. Additionally, we valued the opportunity to engage in cultural exchange and learn from each other. We are grateful for the chance to work on a project with a global impact, and we look forward to applying the skills and knowledge gained in future collaborations.
(From left to right: Florian Dietsche, Jannik Nissen, Moritz Meyer, Jakob Wetter)
Picture/Text: He Yuhao, Xuan Xuan Lin, Shiyi Chen, International Business 2021 Cohort
Proof: Hao CHEN
