Sandro Rolla is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China. He graduated cum laude in Architecture at the University of Genoa under the supervision of Giancarlo De Carlo.

His professional and academic trajectory bridges Europe and Asia, integrating architectural practice, research, and pedagogy within a transcultural perspective. Early formative experiences include collaboration with Balkrishna V. Doshi at Sangath in Ahmedabad, India, and participation in the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design (ILA&UD), where dialogue with figures such as Giancarlo De Carlo, Peter Smithson, and Donlyn Lyndon contributed to shaping his understanding of architecture as an ethical, contextual, and participatory act.

In 1992, he founded ARSarchitects in Milan, developing architectural and urban design projects with particular attention to landscape, material culture, and the relationship between built form and environment. Several works received commendations.

Since 2000, teaching has been central to his work. He taught at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (Switzerland) and at the Politecnico di Milano before joining XJTLU in 2018. He has also led workshops on urban landscape and architectural design at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, contributing to cross-cultural academic exchange between Europe and China.

At XJTLU, he coordinates design studios at undergraduate and master levels, developing a process-oriented pedagogical approach that understands architecture as a cultural and ecological act rooted in place, memory, and human experience.

His research explores architecture, atmosphere, and livability, with a particular interest in landscape, urban transformation, and transcultural methodologies in architectural education.