In recent years, Qiwei Li has emerged as a brilliant new star in the fields of architectural design and education. He has won numerous awards and infused the industry with fresh vitality through his exceptional teaching skills and business acumen. His extraordinary creativity and execution are reshaping the future of architectural education and industry.
Li founded Super-Workflow.com, an acclaimed online education platform that provides high-quality learning resources for architecture students. Serving over one thousand paying students annually, each spending an average of $200, Super Workflow is recognized for its leading role in the educational field. The platform offers students convenient and effective learning channels while also introducing cutting-edge design concepts and practical experiences through collaboration with industry elites.
The success of Super Workflow is closely tied to Li’s foresight and wisdom. He identified the potential of combining architectural education with internet technology and led the way in online education. Li personally leads the platform’s curriculum design and teaching, bringing unique learning experiences for students. His innovative teaching models and practice-oriented course content have ignited students’ enthusiasm for learning, cultivating a new generation of outstanding architectural talents. Li has exemplified the principle of “mutual learning” through his actions, contributing valuable insights to the reform of architectural education.
Li is also an adjunct professor at the School of Architecture and Art, Beijing Jiaotong University, where he introduces AI technology into the architecture curriculum. This move reflects the school’s high recognition of Li’s professional capabilities and innovative spirit. As an industry leader, Li combines his research achievements in artificial intelligence with architectural education, creating a new teaching model that injects vitality into the field. His foresight and pioneering spirit will undoubtedly inject new vitality into the development of architectural education.
Beyond his academic endeavors, Li has achieved notable success in the business sector. The media company he founded in China boasts a readership of tens of millions across various platforms. His architecture website, ArchCollege.com, ranks 52nd globally and 3rd in Asia, attracting 2.5 million annual page views and 1.2 million unique visitors. Additionally, Li’s robust social media presence includes 1.7 million followers on Weibo and 300,000 subscribers on WeChat. These impressive metrics not only underscore Li’s wide-reaching influence but also highlight his role as a pivotal figure in the industry. Through his insightful and professional content, Li has attracted a vast network of architecture practitioners and enthusiasts, establishing himself as a bellwether in the industry.
Li is now broadening his business vision on a global scale. He is launching websites in multiple languages, including English, Korean, and Japanese, to promote Chinese architectural concepts and practices worldwide. Simultaneously, Li is advancing AI-powered large language models in architectural education through ArchGPT.co, a platform he created. This initiative aims to revolutionize traditional teaching methodologies and enhance the quality and efficiency of education with AI technology. His website has attracted about 60,000 followers, and his architecture technology articles published on Zhihu, a leading Chinese question-and-answer website similar to Quora, have garnered an impressive 3.4 million views. Li is leading the industry towards intelligence and internationalization with his extraordinary innovation and influence.
Li’s remarkable achievements stem from his solid professional foundation and exceptional leadership. He possesses a profound knowledge of architectural design principles and embraces innovation, skillfully blending traditional wisdom with state-of-the-art technology. Li is more than just an exceptional designer; he is also a visionary educator and entrepreneur. His unique charisma and leadership have rallied a passionate and creative team, infusing the industry with dynamic energy.
As a visionary leader in architectural education, Li is set to harness the power of AI to revolutionize the industry. His future endeavors will likely focus on developing intelligent building products that integrate AI throughout the entire lifecycle, from design to construction and operation.
Li’s approach emphasizes the seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Building Information Management (BIM) systems. By incorporating these technologies at every stage of a building’s lifecycle, from initial design through construction to ongoing operations, his solutions will optimize energy usage, enhance efficiency, and improve overall building performance.
A key aspect of Li’s future AI-driven architectural solutions will be real-time environmental monitoring. By deploying advanced sensor technologies to track crucial parameters such as air quality, temperature, and humidity and combining this data with AI and big data analytics, his systems will ensure that buildings maintain optimal conditions at all times, enhancing the comfort and well-being of occupants.
To make these complex systems accessible to a wide range of users, Li will prioritize the development of user-friendly control interfaces. Intuitive and centralized control panels will allow even non-technical users to easily monitor and manage building systems, putting the power of advanced building management at their fingertips.
Li’s AI-powered architectural solutions will focus on optimizing maintenance costs. Leveraging IoT technology and big data analytics, his systems will predict and optimize the consumption of materials and enable proactive maintenance. The AI will automatically analyze and forecast maintenance requirements, alerting users to make adjustments or replacements in advance, significantly reducing unexpected maintenance events and associated costs.
This project is not just a technological advancement but also a pioneering practice in integrating AI into architectural education, particularly within Chinese universities. The course developed at Beijing Jiaotong University stands out as one of the few that systematically explores AI’s application in architectural education beyond just image generation. As a discipline at the intersection of the humanities and technology, architecture is undergoing an AI-driven revolution. This initiative underscores the role of technology as a tool to achieve more efficient and innovative design, rather than an end in itself. As the integration of AI in architecture progresses, this groundbreaking project will shape the future of architectural education and transform the way buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. The innovative solutions developed within this initiative, including self-trained AI models for design assistance, Stable Diffusion models for image generation, and the deployment of TOD-GPT, a large language model based on Transit-Oriented Development knowledge, will set new standards for efficiency, sustainability, and user experience in the built environment. This comprehensive approach to merging AI with architecture firmly establishes this project as a trailblazer in the field.
Looking to the future, Li is poised to continue leading the transformation and innovation of the architectural industry with his extraordinary talent and vision. His pioneering work in integrating AI technology into architecture will reshape the future of architectural education and revolutionize how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. Li’s innovative solutions are set to establish new benchmarks for efficiency, sustainability, and user experience in the built environment, solidifying his position as a trailblazer in the field.
Expanding Archcollege.com with multilingual content will internationalize its reach, aiming for 100 million global views in three years. This will spread educational resources and architectural knowledge worldwide, impacting professionals and enthusiasts. Setting up a U.S. branch will break language and cultural barriers, enhance architectural exchanges between China and the U.S., foster business growth, and deepen mutual understanding. Arch-GPT will serve as an advanced educational tool, providing AI-driven insights and real-time feedback, democratizing access to high-quality education, and supporting professional development. Li’s success story will inspire aspiring professionals to contribute to the cultivation of new architectural talent, driving the industry forward into an era of unparalleled innovation and excellence.
