Recently, the final winners of the 17th World Architecture News Awards (WAN Awards) 2024 were announced. The TEMPORARY MOVABLE VARIABLE WATERFRONT HOTEL, designed by Professor Han Chenping from the School of Architecture and Design, CUMT won the Silver Award in the Innovative Architecture category.

The project, planned for temporary installation along the leased waterfront of Tingxia Lake Scenic Area in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, embodies a new design philosophy: humans are transient "visitors" rather than permanent "owners" in nature, environment, and space. It advocates a "polite borrower of nature" approach over a "dominant occupier of land" mindset. The architectural concept redefines buildings not as "fortresses of environmental possession" but as "containers for time-space travelers." Amid rapid technological advancement and industrial production, the design emphasizes respecting nature and inheriting traditional spatial aesthetics through modern engineering.

To realize this vision, Professor Han Chenping and his team drew on years of research and practice in "architectural design under complex environmental conditions," "movable and modular structures," and the synergy of "human-machine-building-environment" systems. The proposal integrates eco-friendly, economical, and service-oriented innovations with aesthetic excellence, showcasing how movable and transformable designs, powered by green technologies and industrialized production, can address global challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and ecological pressures. The project inspires reflections on architecture’s responsibilities, possibilities, and future evolution in an era of technological progress and mass production.

Launched by UK-based architectural portal World Architecture News, the WAN Awards recognize groundbreaking, visionary works by global architects. This year’s edition saw 132 shortlisted entries, with 76 projects ultimately honored—including 18 from China. Notable Chinese finalists included the Research Institute of Architectural Design from Tongji University, the Research Institute of Architectural Design from South China University of Technology, and Benyuan Healthcare Architectural Design Institute (Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research,SZAD).