Zhicheng Xu

Education

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Purdue University 
Master of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Biography

Zhicheng Xu is a co-founder of Hyperlocal and a designer and educator working across architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. His interdisciplinary expertise spans ecological design, material systems, and the cultural dimensions of the built environment. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia. Previously, he taught undergraduate and graduate design studios and research seminars at the Rice University School of Architecture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Zhicheng’s work investigates the role of architecture within broader ecological and cultural contexts, with a particular focus on material ecology and our relationships to land and non-human species. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Lisbon Architecture Triennale, RMIT Design Hub, Latrobe Regional Gallery, and the Center for Architecture in New York. He has been recognized with awards from the Urban Land Institute, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Landscape Architecture Foundation, ASLA-Indiana, and ASLA-Boston.

Prior to founding Hyperlocal, Zhicheng practiced with Kennedy & Violich Architecture and Sasaki Associates in Boston, and Ecosistema Urbano in Madrid. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from MIT and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Purdue University.