Architecture In Context
China Baptist Publication Building MR Project
To explore the story of me and Hudec, I created a MR project featuring the China Baptist Publication Building, using the building as the background and a series of virtual interactive objects.
Hudec & Me
As a Shanghainese, I love Shanghai not just for its food, urban landscape, but also for the culture and history, written into its streets are Shanghai's colonial past. Walking everyday to school, I would be often amazed by the beauty and character of its architecture — especially the twin China Baptist Building and the Christian Literature Building. Curious about them, I dug deeper and uncovered the architect László Hudec, and the remarkable story behind his work.
Hudec’s journey to Shanghai resonates with me as I prepare to begin my own life abroad as an international student. I hope to explore his story further—to understand how he adapted to a new environment, and to learn from the way he turned challenge into opportunity.
To achieve this, I built an Mixed Reality (MR) project that introduces the history of Hudec, whilst standing next to one of his most well-known piece of architecture — China Baptist Publication Building.
The China Baptist Publication Building, a famous work of Hudec.
I walk past the China Baptist Publication Building every day on the way to school
About László Hudec
After investigation Hudec's career as an Architect, I decided to focus on three important pieces of his career, showcasing his transformation of identity.
Design
The section below details the technological considerations of building this project, and why I choose to present it a certain way.
1914-1917
Hungarian Life
On July 28, 1914, Hudec graduated with distinction from the Department of Architecture at the Royal Joseph Technical University in Budapest. His plan to study further in Italy was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War, and in February 1915 he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army. Wounded and captured on the Russian front, he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Siberia. In 1917, a severe fall left him with lasting injuries, and he was formally recognized as permanently disabled.
Hudec's Graduation Class Photo
Hudec's Enrollment Certificate
Hudec's Injury Report
1918-1924
Home-sick
In early November 1918, as the First World War came to an end, Hudec made his way through many hardships and finally arrived in Shanghai. With his outstanding architectural training and multilingual abilities, he was hired by the American architect Rowland Curry at his firm, Curry & Co., located in the Union Building at No. 4 on the Bund, with offices on the first floor of the Asiatic Petroleum Building. Hudec began as a draftsman, and through his rigorous work ethic and creativity, he quickly earned recognition. He was gradually promoted to business manager and ultimately became a partner architect, participating in the design and execution of a series of significant projects.
Newspaper Showing the Announcement of Hudec Becoming the Associate Architect At Curry & Co.
1925-1958
Integration
In January 1925, having accumulated extensive experience and professional connections, Hudec decided to establish his own practice, founding the firm L.E. Hudec Architect Office. The office was located in the Yokohama Specie Bank Building at No. 24 on the Bund. This step marked a major turning point in his career and ushered in a brilliant period in which he independently pursued architectural practice in Shanghai.
Newspaper Announcing the Expiration Of Hudec's Contract At Curry & Co And the Establishment of L.E. Hudec Architect Office.
Hudec Working At His Desk
Interface
- Deploying it on an iPad because iPads are widely available
- Their larger, brighter screens are easier to share in small groups
- Apple’s ARKit offers stable tracking and on‑device processing
- The device’s familiar interface and built‑in accessibility features make it safer and more inclusive for visitors
Media
- I chose Mixed Reality because it lets history live where it happened.
- It allows visitors to “read” the building in situ.
- Because it supports multimodal content, it is accessible to diverse audiences, and it remains ethical and reversible.
Content
- The China Baptist Publication Building is the ideal anchor for Hudec’s story.
- It ties directly to my own discovery and is a verified work that reflects his synthesis of European training with Shanghai’s needs.
- Its central location and public visibility also invite spontaneous engagement from passersby, expanding the project’s reach.
Space
- The space between the twin China Baptist Building and the Christian Literature Building is not just a convenient backdrop; it is an integral part of the narrative.
- The semi-enclosed setting softens traffic noise and creates a safer environment.
- The clear vertical edges and repetitive fenestration improve AR anchoring and tracking.
Version 1 Setup Planning
Version 2 Setup Planning
Version 1 Setup Planning
Version 2 Setup Planning
Mapping using Panoramic Cameras for Immersal
This game design utilizes Panoramic Cameras for Immersal for mapping the model of the building. Below details the steps of using 3D camera using a 360 Camera to Build Immersal Maps:
Step 1: Using Panorama Camera To Collect Spatial Data
To obtain correct camera pose data during capture, we should plan the route to ensure:
- The capture route includes loops. The size of each loop should be determined by the actual environment. For example, we need to cover the block shown on the right, we can make one loop per block, and adjacent loops should connect closely (i.e., ensure the camera captures overlapping frames).
- We return to the starting point at the end.
The path designed to collect spacial data
Step 2: Process And Collect Data: Panoramic Photos
1. Use Metashape to combine pictures into video.
2. Process Photo To Generate A Complete Point Cloud
3. Generate Mesh and Texture, Correct the Scale And Set the Orientation
4. Upload data to build a spatial map
5. Export the model for adding virtual objects
6. Edit and optimize the map
Youth
Time at the army
On July 28, 1914, Hudec graduated with distinction from the Department of Architecture at the Royal Joseph Technical University in Budapest. His plan to study further in Italy was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War, and in February 1915 he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army. Wounded and captured on the Russian front, he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Siberia. In 1917, a severe fall left him with lasting injuries, and he was formally recognized as permanently disabled.
Conclusion
Hudec’s story and mine begin from different departures—his forced by circumstance, mine chosen for growth—but converge on the same lesson: place can be a collaborator, not just a backdrop. Shanghai tested Hudec until it became his studio, turning a reluctant exile into an architect who spoke in two dialects at once—Western structure and Shanghai sensibility. The US tests me in similar ways: unfamiliar norms, steep learning curves, and the freedom to try at full scale.
We each read a city through its making. Hudec measured Shanghai’s rise not by spectacle but by systems that worked: reliable elevators, honest concrete, plans with light and air. I read opportunity the same way—by the rigor beneath the surface. His identity became layered like tracing paper; mine is layering now. He belonged to the work more than a flag; I’m learning to belong to the craft more than a postcode.
If there is a bridge between us, it is this: we stay where our ideas are most challengeable and most possible. Hudec found that in Shanghai; I find it in the US. In both journeys, growth is not a destination but a conversation—between cultures, constraints, and the architecture we’re brave enough to draw.
