On May 17, the First Chief Engineer Alumni Forum of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Construction Management of Tsinghua University was grandly held at the New Civil Engineering Building. Attendees included Nie Jianguo, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the Civil, Hydraulic and Architectural Engineering Division of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Director of the Academic Committee of Tsinghua University; Fang Dongping, President of the Tsinghua Alumni Association Civil Engineering and Construction Management Branch and Dean of the Institute for Future Cities and Infrastructure of Tsinghua University; Liu Hongyu, Director of the Teaching Committee of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Construction Management; Wu Jing, Dean of the School of Civil Engineering and Hydraulic Engineering; Pan Peng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee; and Fan Jiansheng, Vice Dean. The event brought together numerous outstanding alumni and industry experts to jointly discuss disciplinary development and future directions, while also building a platform for alumni exchange and cooperation to explore new opportunities and challenges in the industry. The meeting was chaired by Wang Qiang, Secretary-General of the Tsinghua Alumni Association Civil Engineering and Construction Management Branch.

Wang Qiang presiding

    At the start of the forum, Wu Jing delivered a welcome address. He pointed out that alumni are the most valuable asset of the departments and a bridge connecting academic frontiers with engineering practice, and that this is inseparable from the high recognition of alumni achievements by all sectors of society. The theme of this forum, "Jointly Drawing a New Blueprint, Together Building a Century-Old Dream," was chosen precisely in the hope of pooling the outstanding wisdom and practical experience of the chief engineers to jointly discuss cutting-edge industry trends, solve technical challenges, and plan innovative pathways.

Wu Jing delivering a speech

    Academician Nie Jianguo delivered a report titled "The Future of Structures Is Infinitely Promising." With profound industry insight, he set off a storm of ideas. "What exists is not necessarily reasonable, and what is reasonable is not necessarily advanced." Through classic engineering cases, he vividly explained the revolutionary significance of innovative thinking for the development of modern civil engineering. He emphasized that engineers in the new era need to break through traditional mindsets, inject digital technology and green concepts into engineering practice, and build century-quality projects driven by innovation.

Academician Nie Jianguo delivering a report

    Subsequently, outstanding alumni from different fields shared the latest industry developments and their personal development insights based on their own experiences, providing those present with rich perspectives and inspiration.

    Xu Jinfeng, an alumnus of the Class of 1979 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer of the Jiangsu Institute of Building Science, took the low-carbon technology demonstration office building of the Jiangsu Institute of Building Science as an example and shared the research foundation, future building technology applications, and structural technology research of the project. Xu Jinfeng stated that the future has already arrived, and civil engineers bear unshirkable responsibility for the buildings of the future.

Alumnus Xu Jinfeng sharing

    Li Ting, an alumnus of the Class of 1980 of the Department of Civil Engineering, Chief Expert of Central-South Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd., and National Master of Survey and Design, gave a presentation titled "Intelligent Construction Reshaping the New Ecosystem of the Construction Industry." In light of the current development direction of building industrialization, digitalization, and greening, it is necessary to promote a shift in construction enterprises toward product thinking and create a new ecosystem featuring deep integration of design and construction, a new model of industrialized building enterprises, and deep integration of investment, construction, and operation.

Alumnus Li Ting sharing

    Wei Jie, an alumnus of the Class of 1981 of the Department of Civil Engineering and General Manager of Shenzhen Xingjian Engineering Design Consulting Co., Ltd., shared the application of reinforced composite fiber materials in building structures. Fiber composite materials feature light weight, chemical stability, designability, and fatigue resistance, and the developed products have been applied in the Shenzhen Bay No. 1 V1 Clubhouse, the China Resources Nanjing Bay Art Exhibition Center, and other projects.

Alumnus Wei Jie sharing

    Sun Jianchao, an alumnus of the Class of 1989 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer of the Architectural Design Institute of the China Academy of Building Research, shared the Chinese design and construction practice of the China Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. The project achieved innovations in management mode, construction mode, technology, and exhibition display, and received enthusiastic attention and high praise from audiences of various countries.

Alumnus Sun Jianchao sharing

    Tian Chunyu, an alumnus of the Class of 1995 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Deputy Chief Engineer of China Construction Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd., gave a presentation titled "Research and Practice of Modular Building Technology." He emphasized that modular building is a technical pathway that may be the first to realize intelligent construction and a pathway for the construction industry to learn from and transform toward manufacturing, and he introduced the modular building products and project applications of China Construction Science and Technology Group.

Alumnus Tian Chunyu sharing

    Zhen Wei, an alumnus of the Class of 1996 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer of Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd., shared his thoughts on the future development of building structure design. He pointed out that future building structures will be more refined, greener, newer, and smarter, developing toward independent research and development plus outward expansion, and he introduced the explorations of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design in important fields.

Alumnus Zhen Wei sharing

    Sun Hailin, an alumnus of the Class of 1997 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer of China Architecture Design & Research Group Co., Ltd., gave a report titled "Development and Reflections on Future Civil Engineering." Sun Hailin provided an in-depth analysis of the past difficulties, new situations, and development of civil engineering, and explored the future development directions of civil engineering.

Alumnus Sun Hailin sharing

    Li Jiulin, an alumnus of the Class of 2018 of the Department of Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer of Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd., shared the future development of civil engineering design and construction from engineering practices such as long-span spatial structures, high-performance materials, underground engineering, and intelligent construction, and pointed out that with future technological progress, civil engineering still contains enormous development potential and room for growth.

Alumnus Li Jiulin sharing

    During the free exchange session, alumni including Wang Jianping, Mao Shangzhi, Zhang Chaoqi, and Zhou Sun spoke one after another, expressing their deep recognition of this forum and their confidence in the future development of the industry.

Alumni free exchange session

    This Chief Engineer Alumni Forum was not only an in-depth exchange between alumni and their alma mater, but also a feast of ideas and a blending of emotions. Through the alumni's sharing and the in-depth exchanges in the sub-venues, the outstanding achievements of graduates of the Department of Civil Engineering in the engineering field were demonstrated, and valuable learning and growth opportunities were provided for current faculty and students. At the same time, the successful holding of the forum further strengthened the connection between alumni and their alma mater and injected new momentum and vitality into the future development of the Department of Civil Engineering. In the future, the Department of Civil Engineering will continue to uphold the Tsinghua spirit of "Self-Discipline and Social Commitment" and join hands with alumni to create an even more brilliant tomorrow!

Group photo of attendees