Interview with Shaun Lee

Creation and innovation can generate new value, and this process will bring about self-renewal and upgrade. The realization of self-worth and the sense of accomplishment obtained from creating things from scratch, as well as the pleasure of pursuing beautiful things, are the main motivations that make me a designer.

I have been very passionate about painting and art since I was young. After being exposed to design, I was attracted by the timeliness of design and its enabling us to apply our understanding of art to the transformation and creation of the world. So my design career is actually a process of changing from my love of art to my passion for design. This is a process of self-discovery and a process of actively choosing to refine self-positioning.

Hotel design is my main design category now, and I enjoy it very much because the hotel space is a comprehensive and diverse space. It contains a variety of scenes related to human experience, such as living space, office, social scenes or sports, recreation, leisure, entertainment, etc. The design needs to switch the atmosphere according to different needs in different scenarios. Compared with other types of projects, the emotional factors of the hotel space are fuller, and pay more attention to people's feelings. The space also needs more interaction with human emotions. We need to implant more emotional factors in the space to connect with people, so this is one of the reasons I prefer hotel design. In addition, hotel design is a design type that requires relatively diverse knowledge structure support, and also needs to combine more social resources. This process allows me to learn a lot, obtain more lasting industry development space and higher professionalism and professional value.

"All wonderful things come from sufficient accumulation." My suggestion for young designers is to stick to your love and passion. Persevering in what you love is a happy thing. Don't rush to pursue fame and fortune, but invest more time and energy in what you love, and there is no shortcut.

Good designers solve problems, and great designers establish new orders, set new standards, and create new systems. On the basis of human cultural consensus, a great designer can produce a systematic solution to the new problems brought about by the living environment that will exist for a long time in the future.

The first is that this design must be able to accomplish all the goals you set before and solve all the questions you raised before. The second is to have a certain forward-looking outlook on this basis, that is, whether there is an innovative component and whether this innovation has a positive value. Third, there must be a higher artistic and aesthetic value. Fourth, good design requires logical self-consistency and smoothness. In the design process, add your own understanding of the world and present these views in a form that the public can understand. Fifth, the opinions embodied in the design can reach consensus with most people, and influence the public from cultural, aesthetic, technical, and lifestyle levels.

Design is the pre-planning of creation activities. A good design can make reasonable use of resources, find better possibilities at a limited cost, and maximize value. The timeliness of good design can be validated before coming into existence, provide a feasible basis for manufacturing and construction, and speculate and predict the future actual results. Good design creates new things and new values from new combinations of elements in the material world, creating new categories and better lifestyles. These are all manifestations of value. Investing in good design is investing in a better world in the future.

If I had the time, I want to design the living environment suitable for future human beings.

A project that gives me enough time to reflect and reflects my design theory as much as possible. I think it should be a resort hotel project that includes everything from architecture and landscape to interior space and furniture and accessories.

The ability to observe details, the ability to think logically, and the grasp of sensory feelings. But these must be based on the perspective of providing diversity and more possibilities to find a better answer. I think there is no right answer to design, because design is not a mathematical formula. What we are looking for is not the only answer, but a better solution.

I really like Louis I. Kahn's architectural works, his space construction logic and the influence of space on people's mood and emotions, which are all parts I love and are exploring.

I also like the hotel design works of Yabu Pushelberg. Their application of contemporary art in the space is worth learning.

Aoxin Holiday Hotel is a representative project in my work. In the existing hotel market in China, most works use more traditional and conservative strategies, pursue universality and universality, and meet basic accommodation needs in an efficient manner. Through this project, we want to provide another possibility to provide this market with a strong experiential, dramatic and immersive design work. Bringing more vitality and multiple choices to the industry is the original intention of our design.

Maintain curiosity about the world, keep distance from comfort zone, continue to broaden horizons and enhance cognitive dimensions, be brave to break through the inherent pattern, and find possibilities between culture, art, and aesthetics. And sum up experience in practice to perfect our own design logic, forming a systematic way of thinking.

I would be an artist.

I think design is the art of problem-solving, which is how to use the environment and resources to solve current problems. Including meeting individual needs in life, solving individual and common problems in society, etc. And how we use technology and art to meet these needs while pursuing a better life. For me, design is my life. Discovering problems and solving problems are the most important part of my life.

Family members, colleagues, and investors in the project, users of the work, partners at work, and spiritual communicators in the books. Anyone who communicates with me and has an impact on me has more or less contributed to the formation of my thoughts. My partners are the ones who gave me the most support in my design career.

Perseverance and passion.

Limitations of self-awareness.

Media and magazine submissions, participating in award competitions, attending industry and social activities, and conducting academic seminars are all feasible methods. Of course, the best is the communication effect that comes with the reputation of good works.

The project we are designing is a very challenging and very interesting case. In Xi'an, China, the ancient city of Chang'an City, the capital of China's Tang Dynasty, a boutique hotel will be built close to the imperial city wall. The historical response to the Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty and the special historical sites on the site's ancient city walls are challenges in this project. These challenges will also be the characteristics of this project in the design. Combining the most brilliant art and culture in traditional Chinese culture with contemporary needs, it will be a work we are looking forward to.

To establish a new order, set new standards, and create new systems like those great designers, and to produce a systematic solution to the new problems brought about by the living environment that will exist for a long time in the future on the basis of human cultural consensus.

They look forward to more and better works from him, and he can share his understanding and perception of design with everyone, and use his work and personal influence to influence the industry and the world.

A very important purpose for designers is to create a better living environment for humans. How to create a better society? The answer to this question was originally one of the designer’s jobs. The process of creation and production is the reorganization of the material world and human society. This process must have to do with how the various factors of production relate and reorganize to achieve new cooperation. Is the production relationship coordinated? How does the relationship between people respond to the new environment? Is the use of resources reasonable? Is the iteration of the resulting new environment gradual and orderly to the old environment? As well as the costs and benefits of manufacturing and transformation, designers need to respond. The essence of design is to solve problems. Using design thinking that integrates the achievements of various disciplines, practical solutions are provided for real specific social problems and specific problems after subdivision.

More difficult and challenging work is things that excite me, because it will stimulate my potential and enable me to achieve a better self.

For me, every project is a creation from scratch, which will bring me a great sense of satisfaction. As a creator, this is a very touching moment. At the same time, as an envisioner, some regrets brought by unfulfilled wishes are often felt.

Generally speaking, change is the norm. With the development of science and technology, new technologies and new forms of social organization will produce new philosophical and artistic views to adapt to their development, which will always be in the process of continuous iteration. Therefore, the design should also be based on different conditions to deal with the problems of different periods and provide responsive solutions. As the speed of human civilization iteration exponentially accelerates, the design industry's update iteration will also become faster and faster. I hope that in the new changes, we can see the rise of collective intelligence and the reconciliation of virtual and real environments at the design level.

I think the next phase of the design is to deal with the problem of latitude incompatibility between the virtual environment using data as the carrier and the inertia of human physiological genes and ideological civilization. How to transition and what kind of environment should be created to adapt to the new living conditions is the category designers to think about actively.

Because I am engaged in hotel design, the design conditions between each project will be very different, so the design time requirements will also be quite different. It is determined by different requirements as well as the project's size, complexity, obstacles, political and economic aspects, so our project design cycle varies from three months to three years.

I will start with trying to understand it and conducting research.

Can it be better?

Design leads the trend. It does not need to pay attention to the trend, or to care about what kind of trend it may drive. The essence of design is to solve problems and create, not to cater to and flatter.

Technology is the most basic condition and the most fundamental source in design. Without technology, it is impossible to talk about design. Design is the perfect fusion of technology and art, technology is a skeleton, art is flesh and blood, and both are indispensable. The design of all times must be based on existing technology to discuss possibilities and solve problems. It is ridiculous to depart from technical discussion and design.

3dmax, SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, and Photoshop.

The environment is the condition, the material is the most basic and most important element of creation, and the color concerns information and emotion.

What is the logic behind the design? What are the initial conditions for the design? What is the purpose of the design? What have you given up for better results?

Touched, the feeling of being loved and cared for.

The ideal design partner is the current partners. I feel positive about co-design, but would adopt it cautiously.

Leaders in the same industry, and people with unique insights in different fields.

The ability to observe details, the ability to think logically, and the grasp of sensory feelings are all abilities that designers should have. I really like art works, such as painting, installation art, photography, etc. So many of my design inspirations come from some appreciation and understanding of works of art. Comprehension and feelings brought by scenery or things, and reading other people's thoughts are also ways to nourish my creativity.

Louis I. Kahn and G. W. F. Hegel.

Of course it is a happy and exciting thing. Winning the award is a performance recognized by most people, which allows the work to have a wider exposure and be widely discussed under more attention. Based on these discussions and evaluations, we can draw feedback on design methods and design styles to verify our thinking and methodology and obtain soil for better design works in the future. Because the fame of an excellent work is a reward that few people can get. After all, it is not easy to be the best among many practitioners.

White, China, Sichuan cuisine, winter, iPhone, and Apple.

My first design work was not really a successful work. It was a small temporary car showroom. In this work, I used the concept of "light" as a visual expression to show the sense of speed and technology of the car in a fluid form. Although the errors in the implementation process of this project led to unsatisfactory design effects, this process allowed me to understand the design more comprehensively, and some of the perceptions at that time also became my enlightenment on the direction of future design work.

Discovering and solving problems are the most part of my day. In this regard, I am happy and full of passion. It is a happy thing to immerse yourself in your love. In this state, I don’t need to motivate myself in another way.

When I was young, I firmly believed that I would become a painter. I have been very passionate about painting and art since I was a child, until I was attracted by the timeliness of design. Being able to apply my understanding of art to the transformation and creation of the world fascinated me. So my design career is actually a process of changing from my love of art to my passion for design.

To make a bold prediction, in a thousand years, humans should no longer need a biological body, and consciousness exists in another world (the so-called virtual world now may be the real world in the future) in the form of data or other things. However, the culture created by mankind will be inherited and survive for the purpose of self-survival. Like currently genes relying on living bodies, culture will use the data body to achieve the purpose of self-reproduction and continues to multiply, forming a new civilization. In a thousand years from now, human civilization will have entered the stage of interstellar civilization, but the carrier of civilization is no longer human in the present sense.

As far as I’m concerned, just pay attention to my work.

ADD, whose business scope covers hotel, catering, luxury house,etc., provides services of international architecture, interior, soft design and dedicates itself to providing professional and integrated design solutions for customers at home and abroad. We provide design services for more than 20 international brands under more than 10 international hotel management groups, search for possibilities between culture, art, and aesthetics, break through the inherent setup, and create complete and eternal spaces with investors and management companies.

I think design is the art of problem-solving, namely how to use the environment and resources to solve current problems, including how to meet individual needs in life and uncommon or common problems in society, as well as how to use technology and art to achieve the pursuit of a better life while meeting these needs.

I like hotel space design best because it is comprehensive and diverse, which contains a variety of scenes related to human experience, such as living scenes, office scenes, social scenes or sports, recreation, leisure, entertainment scenes. Design needs to switch atmosphere according to different needs under different scenes. The emotional factors of the space are plumper than other types of projects which care more about people's feelings. The space also needs more interaction with human emotions. We need to implant more emotional factors in the space to connect with people, so this is one of the reasons why I like hotel design. In addition, hotel design is the type that requires support of relatively diverse knowledge structure, and needs to combine more social resources. In this process I can learn a lot, provide more lasting industry development space, and obtain higher professionalism and professional value.

I like innovative and creative design and design that has some discussion about the future, so my job is to try some possibilities, and then let these possibilities answer the initial conditions and questions while also making directions for the future.

My first design work is not really a successful one in the true sense. It was a small temporary car showroom. In this work, I used the concept of "light" as visual expression to show sense of speed and technology of the car in the form of flow. Unfortunately the errors in the implementation of this project led to unsatisfactory design effects. This experience allowed me to understand design more comprehensively. Some of my insights at that time also enlightened the direction of future design work.

For material, I prefer to try different possibilities and seek unity and drama among various material. In particular, I am curious about emerging material and technology. I think design is actually using all possible conditions in the existing material world to reassemble and recreate to achieve innovative results. So I have always been curious and sensitive about material and technology.

Creativity is a rediscovery process for me, so I think the most creative time for me is when the most sufficient research and analysis on the prerequisites is finished . I will not rely on inspiration for design. Actually I will combine multiple ideas and elements, screen and integrate after thinking and identifying, and find the answer that can better solve the problem. That answer can be called valuable creativity to me.

Firstly, there is a logical and smooth thinking process aiming at solving problems in the design process. Secondly, bring in your own understanding of the world and present the views in a way that the public can understand. Thirdly, opinions can reach consensus with most people and influence the public from cultural, aesthetic, technical, and lifestyle levels.

For me, design is a difficult but exciting thing, because the whole process is to constantly find and explore problems, and it is a process of finding trouble for yourself. The design process is the process of discovering as many problems as possible and fighting against them, which always challenges one difficulty after another. So this is a difficult process until you find the perfect solution to the problem and implement it. But for the same reason, you will also have a great sense of accomplishment and happiness when finally facing this successful work.

Creation from scratch will bring me a great sense of satisfaction. As a creator, this is a very touching moment. At the same time, as an envisioner, some regrets brought by unfulfilled wishes are often accompanied.

Unique positioning, precise budget control, reasonable planning and arrangement, etc. I think the success of a design requires not only a good designer or a good idea, but also the integration of more excellent social resources, the cooperation of different professional teams, reasonable plan and efficient execution in each link.

Firstly this design must be able to accomplish all the goals you set before, and solve all the questions you raised before. Secondly the design should have a certain forward-looking outlook, that is, whether there is an innovative component and whether the innovation has a positive value. Thirdly, there must be a higher artistic and aesthetic value.

A very important purpose for designers is to create a better environment for human and the world. Seeking for the answer to this question is originally one of the designers' work. The process of creating and generating new things is a reorganization of the material world, so it will definitely use the resources of this material world. To consider such problems as whether the use of these resources is reasonable, whether the iteration of the generated new environment to the old one is gradual and orderly, the costs and benefits of manufacturing and retrofitting are the natural responsibilities of designers.

For design practitioners, the future development of design industry has always been a thing that we need to pay attention, think about, and also make predictions. Design is a practical subject, which thinks through with the integration of all aspects of philosophy, art, technology, technology, economy, society, etc.and gives specific solutions for lifestyle or living environment. Therefore, with the development of science and technology, new technologies and new forms of social organization will generate new philosophical and artistic views to adapt to their development, and these will always be in the process of continuous iteration. Therefore, the design should do responsive solutions based on different conditions to deal with problems of different periods. I think the next phase of the design is to deal with the problem of latitude incompatibility between the virtual environment using data as the carrier and the human physiological genes and ideological civilization inertia. How to transit and what kind of environment should be created to adapt to the new living conditions is the scope of designers to think carefully.

The most recent exhibition was in Tianjin, China, and it was a showcase of winning works for this award. The next exhibition will be in Germany and will be exhibited in Berlin together with some excellent designers.

I really like art works, such as painting, installation art, photography, etc. So many of my design inspirations come from some appreciation and understanding of art works. Insights brought by scenes or things, feelings brought by emotions, and other people ’s thoughts learned from reading are all ways to nourish my creativity.

My design style is an artistic expression of emotional tension in an orderly space. My passion for architecture and art prompts me to blend space with art. And I was good at transforming physical environment into a sensory experience, establishing emotional connections between people, space, and material. Be curious about each project, find possibilities between culture, art, and aesthetics, break through the inherent setup, and create a complete and eternal space.

I live in China, and Chinese culture has a great influence on my design. This cultural foundation will subtly influence my personality, perspective of thinking about problems, and way of life, etc., which will affect my thinking and my design. Now China represents a huge market and more opportunities, whose scale and speed brings more possibilities and inclusiveness. This high-speed environment is both a test field and a Shura field for designers. Market opportunities and lost crises co-exist. "This is the best era and the worst."

We are commissioned by hotel investors to carry out the design, and we collaborate with hotel investors and hotel brand management companies to discuss project positioning and design goals. The three parties responds to consumer demands from different angles, and finally carries them in the form of space.

I think this choice is mutual. The company's choice of designers and the designer's choice of companies must find common ground, pursue common values and common interests, and reach consensus on the judgment of market and future environment. The resonance of aesthetics and art in China is also one of the important conditions for successful cooperation. In addition, the company should pay attention to the forward-looking of designers, not only consider the current market demand, but also have an accurate judgment on the future.

Firstly we need to find problems, and then research and discover more problems. Secondly we should use smart methods in a targeted way, and then propose as many possibilities as possible. Among these possibilities, find the optimal solution to solve the design problems put forward before, and then use an experimental and practicing process to carry out your ideas. Finally, this idea will be verified.

Ask questions and solve them.

"All the wonderful things come from sufficient accumulation." The suggestion for young designers is to stick to their love. Persevering in what you love is a happy thing. Don't rush and pursue fame and fortune. Put more time and energy into the things you love. There is no shortcut.

A designer's sufficient attention to aesthetics, style or taste helps him gain a high sense of superiority in these aspects, which is an advantage in a way. However, excessive concentration on a part may result in incomprehensive judgment on things or oneself. Therefore, most of the time designers need to have a higher and more comprehensive perspective, and expand the scope of design to a wider one.

More possibilities can lead to a better answer. I think there is no right answer to design. Design is not a mathematical formula. What we are looking for is not the only answer, but a better answer.

The ability to observe details, the ability to think logically, and the ability to grasp sensory feelings.

Paper and pen are the best tools to express thinking and verify ideas.

Design is a process of seeking something better. If there is no time limit, the pursuit of good design is endless. Therefore, I need to set a specific time limit and tasks to be completed. I will make a reasonable plan before doing everything, and then start to implement the work.

I am engaged in hotel design and the design conditions will be very different between each project, so the design time required will also be quite different. It depends on so many aspects like different requirements, the volume, complexity, obstacles of the project, politics and economy, so the design cycle varies from three months to three years.

Can it be better?

I think the jobs full of difficulty and challenge are more important work experiences for me because it will stimulate your potential and help you find a better self.

My clients are hotel investors, real estate developers and hotel management companies.

My favorite work is one that can create new value and define new categories because such work can bring a new perspective and open up another world.

What is going on now is the exploration and research on the future possibilities of urban hotels and living spaces. The plan is to let this subject be verified in future projects, adjust our research strategies and directions and form a refined design theory to guide future design work through the feedback of the market and users.

Since our project type determines that the project requires the cooperation of more than one team to complete, we need the cooperation of multiple departments, teams and social groups. At the same time, we should maintain the complete independence of design creative thinking, and implement design thinking to all aspects of the partner through multiple professional collaborations.

The project we are designing is a very challenging and interesting one. It’s a boutique hotel located in Xi’an, China, the capital city of the Tang Dynasty which was called Chang’an City at that time, close to the imperial city wall. The historical response to Chang'an City and response to special historical sites of ancient city walls are challenges in this project, and these challenges will also be the characteristics in hotel design. Combining the most brilliant art and culture in traditional Chinese culture with contemporary needs, it will be a work we are looking forward to.

My personal phone is +86 18666081957.
You can also find me through my company's contact information. My company’s address is Floor 8, G1 Building, Shigangguoji Building,Xingangdong Road,Haizhu District,Guangzhou City. E-mail is info@adddesign.com.cn.In addition, for business inquiry, please contact Mr Chen at +86 13560175543. For media cooperation, please contact Miss Zheng at +86 18824101397.

No more things to cover. Thank you.