McGill School of Architecture alumnus Peter Guo-hua Fu, a well-known Chinese architect, recently donated $12 million to the university’s School of Architecture. The gift, payable over six years, will be allocated primarily to four key areas:
- Creating a range of scholarships, fellowships, travel awards, internships and summer research opportunities, including a new exchange program with Tongji University in Shanghai;
- Establishing chairs and professorships by attracting visiting scholars and international professors;
- Promoting travel, collaborative research and pilot projects, aimed towards strengthening the school’s global partnership with public and private institutions; and
- Increasing outreach through public lectures, workshops and partnerships with schools, community groups and arts organizations.
The donation will also include the creation of the Peter Guo-hua Fu Fellowships, which will be awarded to graduate students entered or enrolled in the school. They will be awarded on the basis of academic merit, with preference given to citizens of China.
The Fellowships are modeled after Fu’s own academic experience. After earning his Master’s degree at Tongji University, Fu attended the McGill School of Architecture in 1990-91 with the help of the Clifford C. F. Wong Fellowship, which is presented to outstanding graduate students from China. After earning his diploma in 1991, he moved to Toronto to join Zeidler Partnership Architects before moving on to B+H Architects.
After living in Toronto for nine years, Fu returned to China and went on to establish his own firm, K.F. Stone Design International Inc. Canada. The firm has designed an estimated five million square metres of Shanghai’s urban landscape, including hundreds of high-rise buildings. In addition to designing major residential and commercial projects, K.F. Stone has also worked on projects such as a multi-stage outdoor theatre, built entirely from discarded shipping containers.
Although he lives in China, Fu has maintained ties with McGill by welcoming architecture students to intern at his company and serving as an adjunct professor at the School of Architecture.
“Thank you to Peter Fu for this extraordinary gift,” said Suzanne Fortier, McGill’s principal and vice-chancellor, in a press release. “His vision and generosity will support the full range of architecture education at McGill, creating new learning and research opportunities that will position the school and its students for a vibrant future.”
In recognition of Fu’s donation, the school will be named the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture in perpetuity. The School was founded in 1896 and has a number of distinguished graduates, including Amale Andreos, Eric Bunge, Adam Caruso, Arthur Erickson and Moshe Safdie.
“I am delighted to be able to contribute to the excellence of architecture education at McGill,” said Fu. “In this, the 150th anniversary year of Canada, I am proud to express my deep appreciation and gratitude through this gift which will provide more students in Canada and China with the opportunity to acquire an exceptional education in architecture and engage in new learning opportunities.”
