Interview with Ning ZHANG

By structuring architectural space, an architect can convey his/her own perceptions and insights. In my perspective, such motivation and pleasure drive me most.

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.

: 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.

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.

To the extent permitted by my abilities and external factors, I always try my best, no matter in researches or projects.

Only the passion for design and the pursuit for quality are adequate enough to address various difficulties in the process of design.

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.

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.

I tend to settle problems in a feasible manner based on the specialty of each project.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It is because I believe that design is an interesting thing for me.

I choose to be a designer.

My design scope span is a little bit large, including large city planning and small architectural design with high quality.

Maybe everyone has different understanding of legend. I believe that to make your design charming is more important than to make yourself someone.

Excellent designers make “good” design. Great designers make their own design.

To find special problem and to solve it with logic method.

Good design means to properly solving problems. A design which can solve problems is valuable.

I will accomplish projects which can be realized with controllable design quality with employers who have the same understanding of quality as me.

Carefully think and treat all projects accomplished by me.

If someone can be called a legend, it must be Corbusier.

Architects, such as Corbusier, Siza, Tadao Ando, etc. who can truly express themselves are always adorable.

It is hard to judge which design is great. Designs which can ingeniously and elegantly solve problems are awesome.

Find special problem in normal life is an important channel to make an improvement.

I am not sure, but it is certain that there is innovation in every work.

Design is to find a way for things needing to be solved. My design is to find critical problems and to reasonably solve them.

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.

Great is far away from me. However, I am sure that design hobby is the most important assistance and driving force for me.

With increase of projects and expansion of scale, lots of external things need to be coordinated. The key problem needs to be solved is how to continue to pay high attention to design.

Good work does not need to be interpreted, it is just presented. Of course, it is easier for people with the same hobby to find what they need on the platform like A design Award, which is a good thing.

We are accomplishing an interesting urban design. Meanwhile, a reception center of a small town and a bridge with mixed functions will be constructed in the next year. These projects will be interesting.

The ultimate target of a designer is to make good design and complete it!

The premise of a designer being respected in the society is that he / she can make good design. Maybe it is the expectation.

If a designer has correct world outlook, his / her design will naturally contributes to creating a better society. I do not approve of some representational and me-too design solutions.

Several urban design projects in progress are challengeable. I look forward to final realization of them.

White “Z” Veranda in the porch published on A design award, reception center and bridge in a small town in Lanxi, and our urban design projects in Hefei and Jinan are all pleasant projects.

Integration between design and new urban construction technology is more and more strong. On the one hand, more means can be provided for tool kit of a designer due to technology; on the other hand, new requirements are proposed for space due to technology change, which needs to be solved by designers.

I will continue to pay attention to architecture and urban design. There is sufficient space in the two fields for me to express my ideas.

It usually takes 2 to 6 months. If allowable, more time would be taken for some projects.

I start it from finding special challenges of a project needing to be solved.

I have never carefully thought about it. However, carefully making every design in hand is my major concern.

I believe that it is a process of mutual influence.

Design will be more convenient with design-assisting technology. I face lots of challenges in space due to construction and urban development technology. It seems that shared bikes which are extensively distributed to China cause lots of troubles in urban space management. How to solve it? It is the problem needing to be solved by designers.

I use Surface Book which is suitable for preliminary free-hand sketch and subsequent in-depth discussion of the project.

They are important elements in design and will be key design points needing to be paid attention to as other elements in different projects.

It is an interesting design. Why is it interesting?

Pleasure.

Design partners in different fields are required for different design. Joint design is important for development of complex project. However, a final choice shall be made.

Deng Kunyan and Professor Franz Pesch.

Existence, Space, and Architecture of Norberg-Schulz has great impact on me.

You can always gain a lot by deeply thinking about problems you faced and carefully designing all links.

My mother passed away long ago. It must be amazing and happy to talk what happened now with her.

Being famous is not an important thing. I consider various prizes as approval of people who are in the same camp as me to my design. It is pleasant to have an opportunity to meet them.

I like black and white. Every place has its features. Shanghai where I live is interesting. In addition, I am interested in new electronic products.

Design process is usually checkered and repeated. For example, the project we have designed for a long time is stopped after white “Z” Veranda is published on A Design Award. It is a little bit frustrating. It is lucky, however, that the project is rapidly implemented due to implementation of country park project several months later. The turn seems interesting when we look back.

I arrive at my office to make design three hours in advance everyday, thus I feel that I keep close touch with design every day. It feels awesome. The most motivation for me is to make my design have its features.

There was no obvious sign showing that I will be a designer.

Constant development of new technology will have great impact on construction and urban space in the future. And the space that we take for granted should be one of spatial types in the future.

I look forward to exchanging everything about design with you.

It is a very interesting studio, though not very big. We undertake large-scale city planning as well as quality small-scale architectural design.

Design is both a job and a source of joy for me.

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.

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.

I would find the endowment that granted unique qualities to projects.

Anything that can properly solve designing problems is my favorite.

The solution to a problem in a moving way is creativity.

The critical challenge of a project and the logic of its solution.

Whenever I solve a difficult problem, I feel especially pleased.

I feel happy and hope that the project designed will be completed soon.

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.

Whether there is a clear goal, a logical design method, and whether it is moving decides a design as good or bad.

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.

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.

There are no plans for an exhibition at the moment.

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.

Identifying the particular challenges of each project and giving logic to the solution is the most critical core of design approach.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In my house, it's probably that: Metaphys Lucano, SIGG Alu Box, Mono Filio teapot, Surface Book2 and Nomos watches are my favorites.

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.

Find problems from your own perspective.

Requirements on ability for designers will let you get a way to change your life, but sometimes it can make you picky too.

Solving the most critical problems in the most logical way.

In addition to finding and solving problems, the key is to convince your employer to accept your solution.

Manual sketches are always given priority, after which I will deepen and validate them with relevant 3D and plane software.

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.

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’s special for this project?

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.

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.

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.

I think doing every project well is the best plan.

We are a team collaborating closely.

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.

Welcome to contact me at my email address: zhang_ning_@msn.com

You have asked very comprehensive questions, so I have no other things to cover for the time being.