I'm a licensed architect and experienced urban designer. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Architecture, a Master's Degree of Engineering in Urban Planning from Tsinghua University, and a Master's Degree in Architecture in…
01Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
I'm a licensed architect and experienced urban designer. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Architecture, a Master's Degree of Engineering in Urban Planning from Tsinghua University, and a Master's Degree in Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design.
02What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
The projects have a great driving force from the public realm and how people experience the space. And projects that rise from their own urban and cultural context.
03What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
Be patient and believe in yourself. Being an architect is a lifelong journey and you will always find something you don’t know along the path, and you have to learn every day to grow.
04What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
Great balance on practical aspects, vision, functions, creativity, and budget.
05What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
User’s experience through place-making and the design narrative and story telling.
06What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
David Chipperfield is one of my favorite architects. His renovation of Friedrich August Stueler’s Neues Museum is really inspiring. Rather than restoring the museum to its previous condition or building an incongruous modern addition, Chipperfield stitched together the extant architectural fragments with simplified concrete interpretations of the missing forms. He crafted a unique response to every space, restoring what could be preserved, infilling as necessary, and thoughtfully integrating contemporary building systems. The quiet interventions restore the museum’s massing and spatial sensibility to capture the beauty of the original structure without replicating what was lost or fetishizing the ruins that remain. This is a thoughtful approach I have implemented into my own projects.
07How do you define design, what is design for you?
Design is everything. As a designer, I have the benefit of not only designing for the great public but also designing my own way of living.
08What helped you to become a great designer?
Creativity, initiation, empathy, and coordination
09What is your life motto as a designer?
Less is more.
10When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?
I was born in the old city of Beijing, my dad was an architect and my mom was a professor in the field of industrial design. So it’s kind of natural to me to want to be a designer. I was really curious and fell in love with painting from my earliest childhood. I also like literature, history, culture, and science. Being an architect is a great career to have all my interests combined through placemaking.
បទសម្ភាសន៍អ្នករចនា
17 សំណួរ
I was born in the old city of Beijing, my dad was an architect and my mom was a professor in the field of industrial design. So it’s kind of natural to me to want to be a designer.
01Could 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?
I was born in the old city of Beijing, my dad was an architect and my mom was a professor in the field of industrial design. So it’s kind of natural to me to want to be a designer. I was really curious and fell in love with painting from my earliest childhood. I also like literature, history, culture, and science. Being an architect is a great career to have all my interests combined through placemaking. I went to Tsinghua University to study architecture, pursued a master's degree in urban planning after it, and then came to Harvard to study architecture in urban design in 2015. I practiced as a licensed architect in Boston since then.
02Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
I started Studio Re+N in 2022 with my friend Shimin Cao whom I met during my time at Harvard GSD. Studio Re+N is a multi-disciplinary studio based in Boston and Texas and is deeply engaged with local issues of public space, history, identity, and place-making. Our work combined formal exploration, experimental collaborative methods, and applied research in architecture, urban, and landscape. Re+N is a combination of Reinterpretation, Reenvision, Reengage, and embracing endless opportunities. Our design focuses on formulating spatial strategy from the urban environment and its ever-changing conditions, delivering a unique identity while reinterpreting the existing urban and rural fabric, respecting the historical and cultural context with sensitivity, and specifying distinct human experiences.
03What is "design" for you?
Design is everything. As a designer, I have the benefit of not only designing for the great public, but also designing my own way of living.
04What kinds of works do you like designing most?
The projects have a great driving force from the public realm and how people experience the space. And projects that rise from their own urban and cultural context.
05What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
David Chipperfield is one of my favorite architects. His renovation of Friedrich August Stueler’s Neues Museum is really inspiring. Rather than restoring the museum to its previous condition or building an incongruous modern addition, Chipperfield stitched together the extant architectural fragments with simplified concrete interpretations of the missing forms. He crafted a unique response to every space, restoring what could be preserved, infilling as necessary, and thoughtfully integrating contemporary building systems. The quiet interventions restore the museum’s massing and spatial sensibility to capture the beauty of the original structure without replicating what was lost or fetishizing the ruins that remain. This is a thoughtful approach I have implemented into my own projects.
06What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Brick, Wood, Glass, Steel, Stone
07Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
User’s experience through place-making and the design narrative and storytelling.
08What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
There’re ups and downs in the whole design process, the excitement when some of the design ideas come with a great spacial experience and the frustration when some of the design concepts can not be carried out due to technical aspects.
09What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
My biggest pleasure as an architect is to see the design got realized, and people are happily exploring the place.
10What makes a design successful?
Great balance on practical aspect, vision, functions, creativity and budget.
11Where 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 grew up in a courtyard house in the old city of Beijing. This has a great impact on my practice and ideology as a designer, and the reason my design focuses on the dialogue between old and new, and the reinterpretation of the existing context and culture.
12Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
Be patient and believe in yourself. Being an architect is a lifelong journey and you will always find something you don’t know along the path, and you have to learn every day to grow.
13What is your "golden rule" in design?
Less is more with strong storytelling.
14What skills are most important for a designer?
Creativity, initiation, empathy, and coordination
15What are your future plans? What is next for you?
Continue practicing as an architect and urban designer, expand the studio and get involved in more community and social aspects.
16Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
A' Design Award គឺជាពានរង្វាន់រចនាល្អអន្តរជាតិដែលវាយតម្លៃដោយគណៈកម្មការ។ ចូលរួមក្នុង A' Design Award ដើម្បីទទួលបានឱកាសក្នុងការទទួលស្គាល់ដោយគុណសម្បត្តិ ទទួលបានកិត្តិនាម កិត្តិយស និងការផ្សព្វផ្សាយសម្រាប់ការងាររបស់អ្នក។ ដាក់ស្នាដៃរបស់អ្នកសម្រាប់ A' Design Award ហើយប្រកួតប្រជែងដើម្បីឈ្នះ A' Design Prize ដ៏គោរពរាប់អាន។
