With the aim to promote the academic and cultural exchanges among university students from various countries, and to cultivate the scientific and technological innovation spirits and practical abilities of university students, the 2022 Belt and Road International Student Competition on Digital Architectural Design was launched in March and concluded in November with an online awarding ceremony.

Under the theme of Railway: A New Bond Along the Silk Road, the 2022 Competition was devoted to cultivating all college students’ digitalization-based thinking that explores how to preserve the historical features of railways and cities, improve overall quality, and achieve sustainable development along the Silk Road. Urban renewal, architectural heritage protection, environmental monitoring, and other topics related to the railways are included in the Competition. Centering around these topics, participants will use computer-assisted technology, virtual reality, digital twins, geographic information system, remote sensing technology, and other new technologies to contribute works under three categories: Architectural Design, Structural Design and Scene Modelling and Visualization.

Organized and hosted by Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA), the competition was co-organized by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, China Silk Road Group Limited. and Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation; supported by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), G-global International Secretariat, International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), Silk Road International Foundation, Beijing Peace Garden Museum, China Enterprise Culture Improvement Association, Belt and Road Logistics Branch of China Communications and Transportation Association, Glodon Company Limited, China Railway Design Corporation, Beijing Jianda Assets Management Co., Ltd., China International GeoInformation Corporation Limited, and Daspatial Technology Co., Ltd.; and widely participated by member universities. Meanwhile, the competition was offered featured support by China Architecture Design Group Land-based Rationalism D. R. C and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Urban Design.

The competition has attracted more than 650 teachers and students from 45 universities in 11 countries with more than a hundred submissions, reaching a record high.

The organizing committee invited Academician CUI Kai, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and National Master of Engineering Survey and Design, Academician JIA Junbo, Elected Member of Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, and Engineering Expert at Aker Solutions, Norway, and Prof. Sisi Zlatanova, Chairman of the Fourth Technical Committee of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, as honorary members of the scientific committee. A total of 24 experts from 10 countries formed the jury in three categories to select 60 award-winning works (See attachment for the winners’ list).