UNAM Students Join Architecture Exchange Program at CAFA in China

A group of architecture students from UNAM’s School of Architecture are spending a year at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China, through an academic exchange agreement between the two institutions. Juan Ignacio del Cueto Ruiz-Funes, director of the School of Architecture and UNAM Headquarters in China, spearheaded this initiative.

A unique aspect of the exchange is that while most classes are taught in Chinese, students receive instruction in English, easing their adjustment to the new environment. CAFA’s project-based curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning over theoretical content, helping students integrate quickly.

The five exchange students – Ana Ericka Ángeles Hernández, Daniel Barraza Corrales, José Leonardo León Baca, Alejandro Uriel Moya Gómez, and Anaí Desiree Tapia Ocho, will focus on Chinese architectural practices, particularly urban space efficiency. Their studies will examine compact housing solutions and how Chinese urban planners balance modernization with green space development.

CAFA, founded in 1918, ranks among Asia’s premier art academies and is renowned for combining traditional techniques with modern innovation in its programs.