Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu and Xi Huang Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Changchun Aerospace Expo Comprehensive Cultural Building in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu and Xi Huang acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Changchun Aerospace Expo Comprehensive Cultural Building by Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu and Xi Huang, designed for Harbin Institute of Technology Sun Cheng Young Scientist Studio, has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Regarding Changchun Aerospace Expo Comprehensive Cultural Building

Changchun Aerospace Expo is a cultural building for aerospace exhibitions and education, set in a protected wetland in northeast China. The curved form recalls celestial silhouettes and the organic shapes of the wetland. A low-profile layout with a maximum height of 18 meters limits the impact on the site. The accessible first-floor roof joins the surrounding park. A custom steel framework carries the complex curved geometry, and an integrated skin of glass and metal panels provides insulation for the cold climate. The total floor area is about 4500 square meters.

Award Record

This recognition makes Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu and Xi Huang a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2025 - 2026 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/179246
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/179246
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!179246
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/377289

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Changchun Aerospace Expo Comprehensive Cultural Building
Function: Comprehensive Cultural Building
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Ghost White, Black, Light Steel Blue, Steel Blue and Gainsboro
Images: 5
Client: Harbin Institute of Technology Sun Cheng Young Scientist Studio

The Recognition

Laureate: Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu and Xi Huang
Country: China
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #179246

Credits

Team: Cheng Sun, Dagang Qu, Xi Huang, Xumiao Guo and Xiufeng Li
Image Credits: Creator Dagang Qu, Changchun Aerospace Expo, 2024.; Creator Xumiao Guo, Changchun Aerospace Expo, 2024.; Creator Dagang Qu and Xumiao Guo, Changchun Aerospace Expo, 2024.

Design Details

Unique Properties: This aerospace landmark features a curved form that mirrors space silhouettes, linking cosmic aspirations to the wetland. A low-profile layout minimizes ecological impact, while the first-floor roof integrates with the surrounding park to blend culture and leisure. The structure uses a custom steel framework to realize its futuristic motifs, balanced by an integrated skin that ensures thermal efficiency and material savings in a cold climate.
Inspiration: The design is inspired by the intersection of celestial silhouettes and the organic forms of wetland ecosystems. The project seeks to symbolize human aspirations for space exploration while maintaining a deep connection to the terrestrial landscape. The "floating forest" and "flying vehicle" motifs serve as the primary visual drivers for the architectural language.
Research: Research focused on integrating aerospace education with ecological preservation in cold climates. Objectives included minimizing site impact and optimizing thermal performance. Methodology involved site analysis and parametric solar studies. Tools included Rhino, Grasshopper, and BIM software. Results demonstrated a 15 percent reduction in material waste. Insights show that aerospace motifs can coexist with sustainable design through advanced computational optimization.
Challenge: The primary challenge was balancing the bold "flying vehicle" aesthetic with the strict ecological constraints of a wetland site. Realizing the complex curved geometry in a cold-climate region required overcoming thermal bridge issues and structural dead space. Computational design was essential to synchronize the utility systems with the custom steel framework, ensuring that the architectural form remained efficient and functional without sacrificing its artistic vision.
Realization and Technology: The project utilized Building Information Modeling and computational design to optimize the structure for extreme cold. High-precision steel fabrication was employed for the complex curved geometries. Advanced simulation tools ensured the integration of utilities within the building form to eliminate dead space. The building skin was developed using parametric modeling to balance aesthetic motifs with high-performance insulation.
Operation and Interaction: Visitors experience a seamless transition from the wetland park onto the accessible roof landscape. Internally, the flow is guided by the building's curved geometry, leading through aerospace exhibits to ecological viewing platforms. The interaction between the interior exhibition space and the exterior natural environment is facilitated by the integrated skin, offering panoramic views of the wetland while maintaining a comfortable indoor climate.
Project Duration and Location: The project began in March 2024 in Changchun and reached the final design stage in March 2025. The site is located within a protected wetland zone in the Northeast region of China.
Specifications: The structure occupies a total floor area of approximately 4500 square meters. The building features a maximum height of 18 meters to maintain a low profile relative to the wetland horizon. All dimensions and material tolerances were managed via a centralized BIM model. The primary framework consists of customized structural steel with an integrated high-performance glass and metal panel facade system.
Keywords: Aerospace Culture, Computational Design, Nonlinear Form, Severe Cold Climate zone