Ning ZHANG

Specialized in Urban Planning Design.

Ning ZHANG

About Ning ZHANG

Dr.NingZhang PartnerforInternationalProjects|DesignDirectorforGreaterChinaDr.NingZhanghasalwaysfocusedoncreativeurbandesignaswellasdesignsforimportantbuildingsinkeyareas.HehasledinterdisciplinaryprofessionalteamstoparticipateinthedesignofnumerousimportantprojectsinChinaandEurope.Theworkscreatedundertheprincipleofputtingemphasisoncreatingimpressivespatialscenesatdifferentdimensionsandbringinguniquevitalitytocitiesandbuildingshavewonaseriesofmajordesignawardsathomeandabroad,includingtheSilverPrizeoftheArchitecturalDesignAwardoftheArchitecturalSocietyofChina,IconicAwards:InnovativeArchite.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Urban Planning Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Urban Planning
City Archipelago Biophilic Creative Blocks

City Archipelago Biophilic Creative Blocks

Urban Planning Design

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Interview with Ning ZHANG

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
It’s always been my aim to become a good designer. The study and work experience in China and Germany has helped me greatly.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
It is a very interesting studio, though not very big. We undertake large-scale city planning as well as quality small-scale architectural design.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
No matter for large-scale urban design, small-scale architectural design or industrial design, the type of project itself doesn't matter. It is whether it's interesting and brings better experience that really matters.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
I can be moved by lots of excellent design. Each design has their own feature, so it's very hard to compare them and choose the best.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
I would find the endowment that granted unique qualities to projects.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Anything that can properly solve designing problems is my favorite.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
The critical challenge of a project and the logic of its solution.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
I feel happy and hope that the project designed will be completed soon.
What makes a design successful?
Finding the key points and project endowment, and a logical design method under the imagination for the future of a project are the key to success.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
Whether there is a clear goal, a logical design method, and whether it is moving decides a design as good or bad.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
The fairness of the society and the sustainable development mode of environment are always the contents to be concerned about in the design process, and may also provide designers with many inspirations. But now we should notice that the primary task for a designer is still the design itself.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
The development of technology will make design more free, and participation by more people and the blurring of the boundary of the design field may be expected.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
The core of design creation should be experience, I mean a designer shall experience something or imagine to experience something, and then convey it to others by means of design.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Identifying the particular challenges of each project and giving logic to the solution is the most critical core of design approach.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I live and work in Shanghai. Traditional culture needn’t be stressed in particular in design, for it will always affect you, and subtly bring some surprising influence to design. Nowadays, China and Shanghai are more vibrant than before, so architects can always find opportunities to create good works as long as they insist on it.
How do you work with companies?
I am in charge of both design and management in the company. Our management is always centered on how to ensure the quality of design.
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
The basis of successful cooperation between a company and a designer is that both parties have common value goals. Only collaboration of designers at different levels and of different types makes a team successful. Therefore, the criterion of choice should be based on a common value, rather than a simple ability judgment.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
The key of design process is whether the special or critical problems of a project can be found at the first time, and the subsequent design process focuses on how to solve it.
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
In my house, it's probably that: Metaphys Lucano, SIGG Alu Box, Mono Filio teapot, Surface Book2 and Nomos watches are my favorites.
Can you describe a day in your life?
I arrive at my office two or three hours in advance every day and I use the solitary time to solve some critical design problems. When work time begins, my job is more about coordinating the design work of every related party and controlling the design process. Having lunch with colleagues at noon is also a pleasant time.
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Requirements on ability for designers will let you get a way to change your life, but sometimes it can make you picky too.
What skills are most important for a designer?
In addition to finding and solving problems, the key is to convince your employer to accept your solution.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
Manual sketches are always given priority, after which I will deepen and validate them with relevant 3D and plane software.
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
I need to provide myself a quiet work time by arriving at my office ahead of time, which is very important for concentration on design and quality of design.
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
Typically 2-4 months, or maybe longer if a project allows more time for design. As everybody knows, designers always feel that there is not enough time for design.
What was your most important job experience?
I have been engaged in research job in University of Stuttgart, Germany during the period from 2003 to 2011, and design practice has dominated my time since then.
Who are some of your clients?
China's architectural market is quite special, and there are relatively fewer projects entrusted by individual owners. Our clients mainly fall into two categories: local government and enterprise customers.
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
I enjoy the most small-scale architectural projects, the quality of which may be controlled. That’s because such projects are of high quality controllability and the effect of completion can be seen quickly, which is a pleasant experience to me.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
Our reconstruction planning for Hefei Airport Core Area and for the former Jinan Steel Plant are very exciting. In addition, our two small architectural works in a small town in South China will be completed next year, which will be very interesting.
Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
You have asked very comprehensive questions, so I have no other things to cover for the time being.

Designer of the Day Interview with Ning ZHANG

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I earned my PhD in Urban Design in 2011 through seven-year academic training in the University of Stuttgart, as well as a bachelor and a master’s in architecture from China. It is always a pleasure to talk about multi-culture collision and interdisciplinary study. In this special context, meanings and demands will be revealed in a multifaceted way, which enlightens my design. In my many years of experience, quite a large number of landlords were happy to work with architects to do interesting things. I think that the owner of Z Veranda, Langxia Government and owners of Hefei Konggang Core Zone Project, Hefei Economic Development Zone and our ongoing Nanjing and Lanxi projects are all people suitable to work together to create interesting stuff.
How did you become a designer?
By structuring architectural space, an architect can convey his/her own perceptions and insights. In my perspective, such motivation and pleasure drive me most.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
A vision for the future of the base and a spatial conformation that can shake yourself are always the essence of design. All other design techniques are needed only to address the issues that gradually came along with them.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
: The architects will surely feel fully accomplished when their preliminary design is perfectly realized. As a matter of fact, however, most of our efforts are focused on how to settle troubles during the design process.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Architects are no different from others in that professional skills can be trained easily. However, their uniqueness does not sprout in their professional training, but is ingrained in some basic qualities and abilities such as incisive perception of surroundings, sensitivity to environment, commitment to their work and independent judgment . I was lucky enough to carry on these qualities and abilities from my family, the architect Deng Kunyan and my doctoral advisor Professor Franz Pesch.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
To the extent permitted by my abilities and external factors, I always try my best, no matter in researches or projects.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
Only the passion for design and the pursuit for quality are adequate enough to address various difficulties in the process of design.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
I think it’s hard to define the word “success”. In my opinion, success is not necessarily the goal of personal development of architects, artists or designers. It only matters whether you have heartily felt something and let others feel the same from your works.
What is your day to day look like?
I go to work quite early every day to complete the design that needs quietness and other stuff when other colleagues haven’t showed up. We have a quite liberal company environment, and it is very fun to chat and make jokes with each other during work.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
I tend to settle problems in a feasible manner based on the specialty of each project.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
We can evaluate a good design by looking at the following three questions:Does the designer know what he/she wants?Will his/her methods lead to set goals?Are different methods consistent in logic?
How do you decide if your design is ready?
A design will never end, but it is considered to have achieved its basic goal when the designer himself/herself is impressed by the finished works.
What is your biggest design work?
I always joke that our work is “polarized”. Professor Franz Pesch and I worked collaboratively on many large planning projects, including Shanghai Huangpu Binjiang Project in Fengxian District (42 square meters) and Hefei Konggang New Town Core Zone Project (12 square meters). It is often exciting to design and create a new town. Besides, I am also fond of implementing high quality “mini-projects”. For example, I find the completed Z Veranda in Jinshan District, Shanghai very interesting, and the design of the three lighthouses in Shanghai Lujiazui of last year was also a success for me, but it was halted later for many reasons. Fortunately, a series of smaller buildings in Lanxi are near completion this year, for which we have high expectations.
Who is your favourite designer?
I prefer to work and communicate with architects rather than learn about them via the media, as I will benefit a lot from them in this way. For example, the interpretation of space of Chinese tradition of the architect Deng Kunyan is always impressing, and Professor Fanze Pesch’s strict control of urban space also teach me a lot.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
In Shanghai and other Chinese cities, you can always feel a bit of a mixture of chaos and vitality, which often motivates you to change things around through your design. In fact, there also exist a lot of opportunities to make changes.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
My colleagues and I think that the core of our work is to derive pleasure from design, so we are partners as well as good friends. Only when a person is able to have fun at work can he/she make sustainable progress in this field.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
My friends and I have long been holding a small design salon in Shanghai. We wish that young designers from different fields can freely express their thoughts and exchange across different fields through this salon. I am looking forward to your participation in this activity.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
In the A’ Design Award contest, I had chance to stand together and communicate with designers from long distances. We can also get evaluations and feedbacks of our design from people all over the world through effective feedback of its media system. The simultaneous presentation of award-winning works from different fields also makes inspiration of trans-boundary thinking insight possible. Thus, it is very meaningful to participate in this contest.

Extended Interview with Ning ZHANG

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I received learning on architectural design in Wuhan and Chongqing. Then, I conducted a research on urban design for a long time under the guidance of Professor Franz Pesch from German University of Stuttgart.
How did you become a designer?
It is because I believe that design is an interesting thing for me.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
My design scope span is a little bit large, including large city planning and small architectural design with high quality.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Maybe everyone has different understanding of legend. I believe that to make your design charming is more important than to make yourself someone.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
Excellent designers make “good” design. Great designers make their own design.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Good design means to properly solving problems. A design which can solve problems is valuable.
What is your day to day look like?
I will accomplish projects which can be realized with controllable design quality with employers who have the same understanding of quality as me.
What is your biggest design work?
Architects, such as Corbusier, Siza, Tadao Ando, etc. who can truly express themselves are always adorable.
Who is your favourite designer?
It is hard to judge which design is great. Designs which can ingeniously and elegantly solve problems are awesome.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Find special problem in normal life is an important channel to make an improvement.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
I am not sure, but it is certain that there is innovation in every work.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
Design is to find a way for things needing to be solved. My design is to find critical problems and to reasonably solve them.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
In terms of specialty, lots of teachers have helped me a lot, such as Deng Kunyan, Professor Franz Pesch, etc. My parents and family have greatly supported me in all stages.

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