苏州大学金螳螂建筑与城市环境学院座落于苏州大学独墅湖校区，其前身是创建于2005年5月的苏州大学城市科学学院，是苏州大学利用综合性大学的学科优势和文化底蕴，依托长三角经济发达的地域优势，为主动适应21世纪中国城市发展需求而成立的新兴学院，是培养从事建筑学、城市规划、室内设计、城市园林、城市园艺等方面的高级应用型人才。
2007年底，为深化高等教育体制改革，探索校企合作办学的新模式，本着双赢、可持续、共同发展的原则，苏州大学与苏州金螳螂建筑装饰股份有限公司签订长期合作协议，在原苏州大学城市科学学院的基础上，共建“苏州大学金螳螂城市建设学院”（学院公有性质不变，仍为苏州大学公办二级学院）。共同成立学院理事会，整合双方资源，创造良好环境，在学科建设、人才培养、科学研究、行业培训和社会服务等方面开展全方位的合作，学院在办学体制、管理体制等方面试行全新的改革模式，成为学校教育管理体制改革的“试验区”。2008年9月，经过理事会和学校论证，学院更名为“苏州大学金螳螂建筑与城市环境学院”。
学院现设四系二所一公司，即：建筑与城市规划系、室内设计系、风景园林系、园艺系、苏州园林遗产保护研究所、金螳螂建筑与城市环境设计研究所、苏州苏大金螳螂建筑设计有限公司。设有建筑学、建筑学（室内设计）、城市规划、园林（城市园林）、园艺（城市园艺）5个本科专业和园林植物与观赏园艺、农业昆虫与害虫防治两个硕士点，在校全日制本科生552人，硕士研究生43人。学院现有教职工57人，其中专任教师43人，教授11人，副教授15人，具有博士学位者12人，具有硕士学位者17人，并聘有兼职教授10多人。
学院拥有一幢现代化的办公教学实验楼，建筑面积达15000余平方米，教学设施齐全，条件优越。设计专用教室、评图大厅、美术教室、多媒体教室、学术报告厅以及图书资料室、模型实验室、CAD实验室、光环境实验室、生理生化实验室等都已陆续投入使用，并与政府部门、企事业单位合作，建立了十多个实习实践基地。
在人才培养方面，学院采用特色办学，注重学生的过程教学，强化设计的思维过程。在专业建设上，逐步体现出差异化的思路，将相关专业放在苏州这座古城的历史文化背景下进行特色建设，注重加强在城市设计、建筑设计、室内设计、园林设计、观赏园艺等方面的研究，培养具有文化底蕴和人居环境理念的高级应用型人才。学院注重办学的国际化，已与香港城市大学、意大利多莫斯学院等知名院校签署了合作交流协议，并正与美国、日本及中国台湾地区的一些大学商谈合作事宜。另外，品学兼优的学生特别是室内设计专业的学生将由金螳螂建筑装饰股份有限公司出资赴日本等国家和地区考察研修，今后还将优先推荐进入金螳螂公司就业。目前，学院各专业学生的就业率均在90%以上。
学院的目标是建设产、学、研一体化的高水平设计学院。近年来，学院在人才培养方式、校企合作模式、专业建设思路等方面进行了一系列创新。学院将进一步深化校企合作的内涵，与金螳螂建筑装饰股份有限公司、苏州市建筑设计研究院等专业设计公司建立多层次合作平台，在人才培养方面更加贴近社会的需求与形势的发展，着力构建具有差异化、特色化以及国际化的办学模式，重质量、创品牌，不断提升办学水平。
Gold Mantis School of Architecture and Urban Environment
Gold Mantis School of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University formerly was School of Urban Science of Soochow University which was founded on May 2005. To deepen the reform of higher education and explore the new mode of school-enterprise cooperation, abiding by the principle of mutual benefit, sustainable development and common development, Soochow University and Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration Co., Ltd. concluded a long-term cooperation agreement to co-establish the Gold Mantis School of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University (the public nature of the school was not changed, i.e. it is still the public school of Soochow University) on the basis of the original School of Urban Science of Soochow University at the end of 2007. They also agree to cofound the school board, integrate mutual resources, create preferable environment and carry out the all-around cooperation in discipline construction, talent training, scientific research, industry training, social services, etc.. Meanwhile, a series of new reforms in school running and management have been carried out, thus the school becoming the “test area” of reform of school education system. In September 2008, after the discussion and verification of the school board and the university, it was formally renamed as Gold Mantis School of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University, which offered the opportunity for the rapid development of the school. Currently, it is equipped with a modern comprehensive building for teaching, laboratory and office work, with the construction area of over 15,000m2.
At present, the school possesses four departments, two institutes and one company, i.e. Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Department of Interior Design, Department of Horticulture, Suzhou Garden Heritage Conservation Institute, Gold Mantis Design Institute of Architecture and Urban Environment of Soochow University, Soochow University Gold Mantis Construction Decoration Co., Ltd.; moreover, it has 5 undergraduate programs, namely, Architecture, Architecture (Interior Design), Urban Planning, Gardens (Urban Gardens), Horticulture (Urban Horticulture) and 2 master programs of Garden Plants and Ornamental Gardening, and Agricultural Entomology and Pest Control.
Currently, the school is equipped with 57 faculty members, among whom there are 37 full-time teachers, 11 professors, and 15 associate professors, with 12 PhDs and 17 masters in total. Besides, there are over 10 part-time professors, 552 full-time undergraduate students and 43 postgraduate students.
To explore the international cooperation in school-running, the school has concluded agreements on academic exchange and cooperation with many world renowned universities, such as City University of Hong Kong, Domus Academy of Italy, etc., and now it is negotiating with some American and Japanese universities for cooperation. Furthermore, Majors of Interior Designs have the opportunity of going to such foreign countries as Japan, etc. for studying and observing with the expense borne by Gold Mantis Construction Decoration Co., Ltd.
The development goal of the school is to become a design institute with a high integration degree of manufacture, academic achievements and research. In recent years, the school has been making new attempts at talent training, school-enterprise cooperation, discipline construction, etc., and has cooperated with government departments, enterprises and public institutions on the establishment of over 10 experimental practice bases and various laboratories for physical model of architecture, CAD, structure and material, luminous environment, physiological and biochemical study, sparing no efforts to nurture the advanced application-oriented talents with rich cultural deposits and design philosophy of preferable living environment.