China Room
The China Room is a common space for research on contemporary processes of Chinese urbanization. Located at the Politecnico di Torino, it is a hub for knowledge and reflection to be shared with scholars, educators and practitioners in Europe, China, and beyond.
Maria Paola Repellino is an architect and Ph.D. in Architecture and Building Design (2016); She is also a Research Fellow at the Politecnico di Torino, where she is Executive Director of the China Room research group and a member of the Future Urban Legacy Lab. She was also a Visiting Scholar at the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University in Beijing (2014). Her research work focuses on the role of industrial legacy in redefining the relationships between architecture, city, and production in contemporary China. Her main publication to date is the book The City after Chinese New Towns (Birkhäuser 2019, ed. with M. Bonino, F. Governa, A. Sampieri).
Leonardo Ramondetti (1990) is an architect and urbanist working at the intersection of urbanization theory, design, and geospatial analysis. As a Ph.D. candidate in Urban and Regional Development at Politecnico di Torino and Università di Torino, his recent work includes contributions to CeNTO research (Chinese New Town) (2016-2019), and publication of The City after Chinese New Towns (M. Bonino et al., Birkhäuser, 2019). He previously earned a master's degree in Architecture Construction City at Politecnico di Torino with highest distinction (2014), and a professional degree in Sustainable Architecture at Politecnico di Torino (2012).
Michele Bonino is an architect and full professor of architecture and urban design at Politecnico di Torino. He holds a Ph.D. in history of architecture and is Rector’s Delegate for International Relations with China and Asian Countries. He was previously a visiting scholar at MIT, as well as a visiting professor at Tsinghua University. He currently leads research and design projects within the China Room Research Team at Polito. Edoardo Bruno is an architect and researcher at Politecnico di Torino. He obtained his Ph.D. in architecture history and project in 2017. Since 2015, he has been responsible for the activities of South China – Torino Lab, a joint research centre between Politecnico di Torino and South China University of Technology. Edoardo Bruno is also a member of the China Room Research Team at Polito. Since 2011, Alessandro Armando, architect, has been an associate professor at the Department of Architectural and Design (DAD) of the Politecnico di Torino, where he teaches architectural design and architectural design theory. He is also the coordinator of the Architecture Construction City master's degree program. A full professor of architectural and urban design at Politecnico di Torino, Giovanni Durbiano holds a doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) in the history of architecture and urban planning from Politecnico di Torino. He is the author of several publications on issues concerning contemporary architectural design and is a founder and member of the advisory board of the peer-reviewed journal Ardeth (Architectural Design Theory).
