Interviews with Jintao Zhai

Growing up in China’s rapidly urbanizing cities, I witnessed how design shapes human experiences. My undergraduate studies revealed landscape architecture’s power to heal communities, while my graduate work at Michigan refined my belief: Architecture must respond to cultural memory while pioneering ecological resilience. It’s a mission, not just a career.

Three pillars guide my work:Contextual Sensitivity(dialogue with heritage and environment)，Human-Centered Iteration(prototyping spatial experiences).Material Honesty(expressing sustainability through tactile choices).I blend hand sketches and parametric tools, valuing physical models to test spatial narratives before digital refinement.

The initial concept phase electrifies me – it’s where chaos crystallizes into possibility. Yet true fulfillment comes from witnessing users inhabit spaces we envisioned. Design is empathy materialized; that translation from abstract idea to lived emotion is my deepest joy.

Beyond technical training,cross-cultural negotiation(navigating East-West design philosophies) andnarrative storytelling(framing design logic for diverse stakeholders) proved crucial. My mentor at Michigan taught me: "Great architecture speaks first to the heart, then to the mind.

With Will & Tao, we aim to redefine"Cultural Infrastructure"– libraries, community centers – as catalysts for social equity. My dream project? A migratory cultural hub along the Silk Road, using adaptive reuse to celebrate nomadic heritage in a climate-responsive framework.

1、Embrace constraints– they breed innovation. 2、Design with your feet– site immersion reveals invisible narratives. 3、Seek criticism, not validation.

Avoid the "signature style trap." Respond to project DNA, not your portfolio. Invest in "slow research" – spend a week mapping neighborhood rituals before drafting. True innovation lies in listening beyond the brief.

Mornings begin with tea and hand-drawing meditation. Postnoons are collaborative deep work with our team, evenings for global design webinars. The highlight? Watching interns reinterpret our sketches – their fresh eyes refuel my creativity.

Trends are data points, not dogma. I track biomimicry and AI-driven spatial analysis via platforms likeDezeenandArchinect, but cultural sustainability remains my anchor. A building should whisper its place’s history while breathing with the future.

Good design answers "why" before "how." Three litmus tests:1、Does it dignify its users? 2、Will it age with grace? 3、Does it give more to the environment than it takes? Avoid the "iconic but irrelevant" pitfall.

A design is ready when stakeholders forget it’s "designed" – when space feels inherently inevitable. We prototype until the solution seems obvious, then step back. Perfection is the enemy of relevance; architecture must live, evolve, and sometimes scar.

Jiangmen Tech City, embodies my core ethos. We transformed a derelict industrial site into a climate-responsive cultural incubator. Its kinetic roof adapts to weather patterns, while modular interiors foster impromptu collaborations. It’s architecture as a living system—not a static monument.

Liu Jiakuntaught me vernacular’s revolutionary potential.Zaha Hadidredefined ecological tectonics. If I could converse with a departed master?Lina Bo Bardi– her brutalist poetry fused social justice with raw beauty.

New York’s kinetic energy fuels me, but Fuzhou’s intimate lanwei alleys live in my bones. I design with jazz – its improvisational logic mirrors architectural problem-solving. Small design ritual? Hand-writing letters to clients; slowing communication deepens understanding.

Will & Tao operates as a"laboratory of voices"– architects, anthropologists, even poets co-create. Key partner criteria? Intellectual humility and obsessive curiosity. Our core challenge? Balancing commercial pragmatism with radical experimentation.

We dedicate 10% capacity to"Architecture for Diaspora"– pro bono designs preserving migrant communities’ cultural memory. Recently, we transformed a Brooklyn laundromat into a Cantonese elders’ storytelling hub. Design’s highest calling? To be a vessel for belonging.

Winning gold was profoundly validating. Two key benefits:1、Global credibility– awards are passports for young practices.2、Critical reflection– the jury’s critique refined our manifesto. Being "Designer of the Day"? A reminder that architecture is a marathon of daily passions.

We prioritized functional fluidity – blurring boundaries between work, life, and nature. Key goals:Create a 24/7 resilient ecosystem via underground service networks and weatherproof canopies.Catalyze innovation through immersive co-working hubs for startups to enterprises.Reclaim neglected spaces (e.g., valueless underground → vital infrastructure layer).

Scaling the "health-tech hub" model:Phase 2 integrates AI-driven building management for energy optimization.Export the hybrid-use framework to ASEAN eco-cities, adapting Lingnan design principles to tropical contexts.

6 monthsof intensive design (Oct 2021-Mar 2022), including cultural research on Lingnan architecture and 3D simulations for microclimate optimization.

Commissioned by Jiangmen to revitalize the district, but we transformed pragmatic requirements into acultural manifesto– proving economic development and heritage preservation can coexist.

Currently operated by our consortium. We’re open tolicensing the design system(e.g., terrace networks, underground utility integration) for similar climatic zones, with core IP retained.

To challenge "zoned cities." Hybrid-use isChina’s urban future– where living labs boost well-being and productivity simultaneously.

Critical regionalism theoristKenneth Framptoninformed our cultural reinterpretation. Technical inspiration from Singapore’sPARKROYAL on Pickeringfor vertical greenery systems.

A"innovation triangle":Researchers(health-tech labs)，Digital nomads(co-working spaces)，Health-conscious families(organic retail/elderly apartments).

1."Earth-Sky Interface"– Underground transport/service layer frees ground for human-scale activities. 2.Climatic Armor– Giant canopies enable monsoon-proof commerce. 3.Productive Green– Rooftop terraces yield herbs for onsite F&B.

"Jiangmen"denotes location poetry."Health Tech City"declares mission – merging biotech innovation with Lingnan wellness wisdom.

Rhino+Grasshopperfor parametric terraces;SITE ANALYSISfor sun/wind simulation;RevitBIM coordinating 200+ disciplines.

"Reverse Undergroundism"–Traditionally devalued basement space becomes theoperational backbone, allowing the ground plane to prioritize pedestrian joy and ecological continuity.

Collaborated with:Local architectural design institutefor seismic resilience，Local botanical expertson native rooftop planting.

Technology as"invisible enabler":Smart canopieswith photovoltaic coatings，Geothermal wellsfor 30% energy reduction，App-based co-workingspace allocation.

Evidence-based designguided us:Wind tunnel testsfor thermal comfort，Footfall analysisto position retail，Heritage studieson Jiangmen’s arcade typology.

Challenge 1:Phased construction without disrupting urban image.Solution:Strategic "facade" – public buildings completed early to define streetscape.Challenge 2:Reconciling elderly housing tranquility with commercial vibrancy.Solution:Centralized senior apartments buffered by office blocks.

A' Design Award’s"design for society"ethos aligns with our mission. Submitting to global scrutiny proves Chinejiangmense innovation transcends "scale spectacle" towards human-centered solutions.

Key learnings:Hybrid vigor– Cross-pollinating healthcare/commercial/tech yields unexpected value."Deep sustainability"– Beyond energy metrics, cultural continuity is true resilience.

This award validates thatcities can heal. By weaving heritage DNA with future-proof systems, we create habitats where technology serves humanity, not vice versa.

Witnessing Shanghai’s vanishingshikumenlanes ignited my mission:Design as cultural preservation. Buildings should be time capsules that breathe.

A conscious rebellion against disposable urbanism. My grandmother’s courtyard house taught me more about space than any textbook.

Specializing inadaptive reuse architecture. Dream to design nomadic cultural stations for climate refugees – architecture as a mobile identity anchor.

Master three languages:Material poetry, community empathy, and algorithmic thinking. Sketch with charcoal, calculate with code.

Good designers solve problems. Great designersreframe the questions. See: Lina Bo Bardi turning factory ruins into pulsating cultural centers.

My litmus test: Does it make birds nest on its eaves? Can a child intuitively navigate it? Will it compost beautifully when obsolete?

Good design isinvisible infrastructure for dignity. Investing in it means betting on human potential – like funding oxygen.

For global nomads – modular dwellings that unpack ancestral altars from suitcases. Heritage should travel light.

"Library of Lost Sounds"– an acoustic archive where migrant communities record dialects in clay resonators before they vanish.

Equal partsobsessive curiosityandstrategic ignorance. Know when to dive into material research, when to unsee precedents.

Francis Kéré’s earth-built schools, Wang Shu’s recycled-tile walls, Eileen Gray’s transformable furniture. All teach:Constraint is the mother of eloquence.

Alvar Aalto’sSavoy Vase– its undulating form captures Finland’s 187,000 lakes in glass. Proof that abstraction can hold memory.

Every year Iapprentice anonymously– last summer as a stonemason in Kyoto. Hands must relearn what eyes forget.

Anethnomusicologist. Recording disappearing folk songs is architecture in acoustic form – both build shelters for collective memory.

Design isgiving form to empathy.

My friend – a poet who translates Li Bai into structural equations. He reminds me:"Beams carry weight, spaces carry dreams."

Failure literacy. My design was rejected for being "too Chinese"; that friction birthed Will & Tao’s cross-cultural ethos.

Being told:"Sustainability can’t be poetic."We proved otherwise with rammed-earth walls that sing in the rain.

Show process over polish: Display charred wood samples beside final renders. Vulnerability builds trust.

To make"cultural sustainability" as measurable as carbon footprint.

To betranslators, not auteurs. Our duty: Amplify silenced voices through space.

Design issociety’s immune system. Just as antibodies target threats, good architecture neutralizes inequality.

Abolish"starchitecture"cult. Measure success by how sparrows adopt your building, not Instagram likes.

Post-digital craftsmanship: 3D-printed clay tiles tuned to local birdsong frequencies. Technology as cultural amplifier.

Like tea brewing: Minimum 9 months for ideas to steep. Rushed design is bitter architecture.

Walk barefoot on site. Soil conductivity maps reveal more than any client brief.

"Build half, let time build the rest."– Adapted from Song Dynasty garden treatises.

True designdefies seasons. It converses with ancestors while whispering to futures unborn.

Treat AI asco-pilot, not captain. Algorithms suggest; humans elect poetry over efficiency.

Ask me:"Whose memories does this space exile?"Every design is an act of inclusion/exclusion.

I counttraces of resistance– where the designer defied budget, norms or gravity for integrity.

A Detroit auto worker who told me:"Don’t pretty up pain – transform its energy."Steel mills became our community forges.

The Poetics of Space(Bachelard),The Art of Building in Yemen(Damluji),The Craft of Gardens(Ji Cheng). Texts are silent mentors.

Reverse-mentor Gen Z internson TikTok aesthetics. Wisdom flows upstream too.

Awards arecompasses, not destinations. Pressure? I compost doubt into blueprints – anxiety fuels innovation.

Color: Ink-black.Place: Fuzhou’s hotspring alleys.Food: Grandmother’sjiu niang tangyuan.Season: Monsoon.Object: Wabi-sabi teacup.Brand: None – cherish the anti-brand.

Watching construction workersmodify our designs on-site. Their improvisations are masterclasses in contextual intelligence.

Built"ghost cities"from wet sand that tidal waves would reclaim. Already understood:All architecture is temporary.

Architecture asmycelium networks– invisible connections nurturing above-ground communities. Less objects, more relationships.

Know this:Your footsteps complete my designs. When children chalk dragons on our plaza tiles, that’s the real award.

Co-founded in 2024,Will & Tao Design Inc.is a New York-based trailblazer fusing art with technology. We operate across scales—from branding to architecture—driven by a belief that design must transcend aesthetics to solve real-world challenges. Our team of interdisciplinary innovators merges algorithmic thinking with cultural narratives.

Design isempathy materialized. It starts by listening—to people, sites, and ecosystems—then synthesizes needs into forms that elevate function into poetry. Great design doesn’t shout; it whispers solutions that feel inevitable.

I gravitate toward‘boundary-dissolving’ projects: installations that blur digital/physical realms, or buildings that become ecological actors. For instance, our award-winning community hub integrates wastewater recycling into its sculptural facade—proving sustainability can be visceral, not just visible.

Jiangmen Tech City, this A’ Design Award winner, embodies my core ethos. We transformed a derelict industrial site into a climate-responsive cultural incubator. Its kinetic roof adapts to weather patterns, while modular interiors foster impromptu collaborations. It’s architecture as a living system—not a static monument.

Mycelium compositesandreal-time 3D simulations. One offers biodegradable structural intelligence; the other allows us to test designs against climate scenarios—like seeing how a facade performs in 2050’s predicted heatwaves.

Creativity ignites inthe ‘liminal space’ between focus and rest—often during predawn sketching sessions when the city sleeps, or on cross-continental flights where time zones blur. Disruption of routine forces the brain to make unexpected connections.

Three layers:Ethics(Is it regenerative?),Emotion(Does it stir the soul?), andEvolution(Will it adapt over time?). A building should outlive its original purpose.

A pendulum betweenfrustration and flow. Early stages feel like wrestling with ghosts—ideas are elusive. But when research, intuition, and technology suddenly align? That’s euphoria. Like catching lightning in a bottle.

Terrified exhilaration. Buildings are living entities—once realized, they belong to the world. Watching people inhabit a space we envisioned is like sending a child into the wild: proud but vulnerably aware it must now thrive beyond our control.

When it becomes abackground hero—seamlessly improving lives without demanding attention.

First,honesty: Does it pretend to be what it’s not? A concrete facade mimicking wood grain fails this test. Second,empathic resonance: Can a 5-year-old intuitively interact with it? Great design communicates across ages and cultures.

Designers arestewards of fragility. We must combat ‘solution pollution’—creating things that solve one problem but create three others. Every project should answer: How does this heal, not harm, our planetary home?

Three shifts:From authorship to curation: Designers will orchestrate AI, bio-materials, and community input;From sustainability to regeneration: Buildings must actively heal ecosystems;From static to sentient: Spaces will learn and adapt via embedded sensors.The future isn’t about prettier objects—it’s aboutdesigning relationships.

Non-design sources are richest:Poetry(e.g., Wislawa Szymborska’s metaphors for materiality);Failure(collapsed structures teach more than theory);Marginal spaces(NYC subway tunnels where moss grows on concrete).I collect ‘micro-observations’—a phone gallery of cracks, shadows, and makeshift repairs.

My style is‘Contextual Futurism’—respecting cultural memory while prototyping tomorrow. Growing up in China’s rapid urbanization, I saw ancient alleys replaced by generic towers. Now, we embed vernacular wisdom into tech-driven designs, like using AI to optimize courtyard wind flows inspired by Fujian tulou. Characteristics:Adaptive, Narrative, Invisible.

Based inNew York, I absorb itscollision of histories and futures. Chinese heritage anchors me inyin-yang balance—our firm’s projects often mediate between density and emptiness. The pro? Endless cultural stimuli. The con? America’s obsession with ‘newness’ sometimes overlooks ancestral wisdom. I counter this by using parametric tools to reinterpret traditions, like digitally weaving bamboo weaving patterns into structural systems.

We reject the ‘genius designer’ myth.Co-creation is key.We’re mediators, not dictators.

Hire for curiosity, not portfolios.Ask: ‘What fascinates you outside architecture?’ A designer obsessed with fungal networks or jazz improvisation will bring radical innovation. Avoid those who only showcase glossy renders—seek ones who document their iterative failures.

Be a ‘T-shaped designer’—dig deep into one discipline (the vertical bar), but branch horizontally into ecology, sociology, even poetry. Andprotect your ‘creative ignorance’: sometimes not knowing ‘how things are done’ leads to breakthroughs.

Pros: Permission to reshape reality; Collaborating with neuroscientists/poets; Seeing your work become someone’s ‘memory anchor’.Cons: Eternal imposter syndrome; Sleep sacrificed to deadlines; Knowing even sustainable design consumes resources. We combat this by donating 5% studio time to repairing existing buildings.

Design for the ‘unseen user’.Beyond the client, who else is impacted? A child playing nearby? Birds nesting in the area? Soil microbes? If the design serves them, it serves everyone.

From3 weeks to 3 years. Pop-up installations take weeks; buildings demand years. But critical paths differ: A museum facade might undergo 200 digital iterations in a month, while community consultation for a park could span seasons to build trust.

‘How do you balance art and function?’ My answer: False dichotomy. A rainwater harvesting system can be a dazzling kinetic sculpture. Design dissolves such binaries.

Hybrid infrastructures—e.g., a bridge that filters river water while hosting night markets. These projects demand dissolving boundaries between engineering, ecology, and social choreography. Why? They prove design can multitask as public service.

Jintaozh@umich.edu

To fellow designers: True glory lies not in newness, but inhealing the designed world.

Inspired by Jiangmen's historic paddy terraces, we developed a biomechanical irrigation spine spanning the building's 148m height. Phase 1 (2022) installed 23km of capillary tubing within cascading planter walls, fed by greywater from upper-level residences. The game-changer was our 2023 patent-pending "Phyto-Respirator" modules: hydroponic trays with shape-memory alloy actuators that unfold at dawn to maximize photosynthesis, retracting at dusk to form storm shields. Real-time IoT sensors monitor soil moisture, triggering piezoelectric pumps that move water upward against gravity – achieving 92% irrigation autonomy. This created a continuous vertical micro-farm producing 1.2 tons of leafy greens monthly for onsite restaurants while reducing urban heat island effect by 4.3°C.

To maintain coherence across 5 construction phases (2022-2025), we implemented a "DNA Scaffolding" system. Phase 1 erected 36 prefabricated "gene cores" – steel-reinforced rammed earth columns containing locally sourced laterite, each embedded with RFID chips recording material provenance. Subsequent phases cloned spatial algorithms from these cores: Phase 2's retail pods grew within 15m-radius parametric fields; Phase 3's research wings extended along solar-tracking vectors. Crucially, all facades share a "memory lattice" of 3D-printed terracotta tiles whose hexagonal patterns encode construction timelines – early-phase tiles feature sparse geometries that densify toward Phase 5. This material archive reduced design discrepancies to under 7% while creating a legible historical narrative visible at pedestrian level.

Our "Wellness-Commerce Nexus" emerged from analyzing 12,000 biometric data points via wearable tech trials in Phase 2 (2023). We discovered cortisol levels dropped 28% when shoppers encountered "micro-restorative thresholds" – transitional zones with 3 key features: ① Olfactory "scent compasses" diffusing adaptive aromatherapy blends (e.g. citrus near fitness studios) ② Haptic guidance rails with embedded piezoelectric sensors that generate calming vibrations upon touch ③ Biofeedback kiosks projecting real-time air quality/UV data onto mist screens. This informed our radical retail clustering: Pharmacies connect to "herbal immersion gardens" where TCM practitioners prescribe planter-bound medicinals; supplement stores open onto VR yoga decks with motion-capture posture analysis. Post-occupancy studies show these integrations increased dwell time by 53% and boosted sales of health products by 41%.

Transforming 28,000m² underground required reimagining service layers as "resilient ecologies". Our 2023 breakthrough was the magnetic-levitation cargo system: Autonomous robots on electromagnetic tracks transport goods at 18km/h (zero carbon), with 1.5-ton capacity per unit. Flood-prone zones (-6m level) house modular water treatment pods featuring mycelium-filtration membranes that digest pollutants – efficiency increased 53% after crossbreeding local fungi strains in Phase 2. Crucially, elevated titanium walkways (+1.5m from floor) maintain dry access during 50-year flood events, while geothermal stacks transfer waste heat to warm surface plazas via phase-change fluid loops (PCM: CaCl₂·6H₂O). Post-occupancy monitoring shows these systems reduced energy consumption by 41% during 2024’s record rainfall.

Collaborative environments are powered by our "neuro-adaptive architecture" system. Phase 3 (2024) installed EEG headset arrays detecting alpha brainwaves – when focus drops below 8Hz threshold, "cognition pods" automatically deploy: ① Sound-absorbing mycelium partitions (grown onsite from agricultural waste) extend to create acoustic sanctuaries ② Dynamic lighting shifts from 6000K to 2700K while projecting fractal patterns proven to reduce stress ③ AR tables overlay 3D site models that teams manipulate via gesture control. The masterstroke is "idea pollination" mode: When multiple pods detect creative blocks, their glass walls turn transparent and merge AR canvases. Post-occupancy data shows 82% increase in cross-disciplinary collaboration and 37% faster decision-making.

Road-facing facades became "phase-change canvases". Each 1.2m ceramic fin (3D-printed with Jiangmen river clay) is coated with microencapsulated PCM (BioPCM™ Q25, thickness: 0.3mm, enthalpy: 182J/g) that stores excess heat. The innovation lies in their kinetic mounting: Shape-memory alloy hinges tilt fins 23° at 28°C to self-shade, reducing cooling loads by 31%. At night, electroluminescent wires woven through ceramic pores visualize real-time energy flows – blue for geothermal output, amber for solar gain. This transformed the facade into a "nocturnal data tapestry" revealing the building’s metabolic rhythms. Post-installation thermal imaging shows surface temperature differentials up to 15°C, creating micro-breezes that improve pedestrian comfort by 29% (UTCI index).

Our evidence-based approach leveraged microbiome-informed ventilation (Patent CN202310759021.8). Phase 1 trials deployed airborne microbiota sensors tracking 120+ species – data revealed probiotic bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus) thrive near plants, while pathogens concentrate around synthetics. This birthed the "Bio-Zoning Matrix": ① Green walls with species-specific phytoremediation (Sansevieria for formaldehyde removal) ② HVAC with electrostatic precipitators injecting probiotic mists calibrated to diurnal cycles ③ Retail layouts where natural fiber clothing boutiques adjoin vertical farms, creating "immunity bubbles". The clincher is real-time IAQ dashboards: Shoppers scan QR codes to see pathogen levels drop as they move through zones. Clinical trials with Tongji Medical College showed 33% reduction in respiratory symptoms among asthmatic visitors. Sales of biophilic products increased 57% in zones with visible air quality displays.

Winning the A' Design Award for Jiangmen Tech City has sparked tangible changes in urban planning. Just last month, I advised on Shenzhen's Bao'an Riverfront project where we directly implemented three innovations from Jiangmen: First, the "heritage cooling tubes" – terracotta columns filled with phase-change gels that cut cooling energy by 31% while displaying historical patterns. Second, community memory vaults – AR-enabled walls where elders record oral histories triggered by scanning QR codes with phones. Third, our modular wetland terraces that treat stormwater while growing edible lotus. Developers initially resisted the terracotta system, but after seeing Jiangmen's 42% reduction in HVAC costs, they've now adopted it across six towers. Most rewarding? Farmers displaced by urbanization were hired to craft the terracotta tiles – their thumbprints literally embedded in the facades, turning displacement into dignified preservation.

Balancing diverse functions felt like conducting an orchestra – each section needs solo moments but must harmonize. Our breakthrough came during Phase 2 construction when we discovered an abandoned Ming-era drainage channel beneath the site. Instead of demolishing it, we transformed it into the "Living Archive Spine":Above it, research labs float on glass floors allowing scientists to study the archaeology below.Commercial spaces cascade alongside it with retractable staircases for pop-up markets.Residential units feature perforated balconies angled to reflect sunlight onto the ancient bricks, creating dancing light patterns at dusk.The true magic? "Programmatic Choreography" – at 9 AM, movable plant walls part to connect yoga studios with herb gardens; at 2 PM, mirrored panels tilt to shield residences from glare while projecting rainbows into co-working areas; at 7 PM, the drainage channel illuminates with biodegradable LEDs for night tours. This living timeline reduced construction waste by 28 tons while becoming the community's storytelling hub.