Global Construction Watch

With a flourishing building boom, many new buildings are seemingly built overnight. Many of these leave us awestruck by their sheer beauty, innovative design and smart design.

Often these designs are thanks to an upstart designer architect who is gifted enough to make a difference in the way we can look at buildings.

3 of these architects hail from China and deserve a mention for outstanding design and achievements.

MAD Office Beijing China

MAD has won international acclaim winning numerous design competitions including:

• 2006 Absolute Tower Toronto, Canada
• 2005 Solar Plaza Competition in Guangzhou, China
• 2004 Shanghai National Software Outsourcing Base

The companies principles embrace the advent of a new era. With contemporary, urban design and fluent angles, their works are clearly outstanding and spectacular. Dedicated to bring traditional simplicity to their art, the team at MAD is further enhancing their designs with logic and organisation.

The company was founded in 2004 and consists of partners:

• Ma Yansong Founding Principal: Mr. Ma received his Masters of Architecture from the Yale University School of Architecture. He is originally from Beijing, China. He has extensive experience in the industry having worked with Zaha Hadid Architects in London and Eisenman Architects in New York.
• Yosuke Hayano Principal: Mr. Hayano hails from Nagoya, Japan and received his Bachelor of Architecture form Waseda University in Tokyo in 2001. Prior to MAD he was a project designer for Zaha Hadid Architects in London.
• Qun Dang Principal: Ms. Dang is from Shanghai and received her Master’s Degree in Architecture at Iowa State University. She has extensive experience working her way up the ladder for several Architecture firms in the U.S.

Urbanus Architecture & Design Inc.

Urbanus is derived from the Latin word urban and reflects the office’s design approach. Urbanus is committed as a team in the modern belief that architecture is merely a pivotal force to a better life and their beliefs are for architects to be strong enough to make an impact in society.

They have won many competitions in the years from 1999 - 2006 and they are clearly a force to be reckoned with. The last three designs were for:

• 2006 Peach Blossom Villa Garden, Beijing, 1st Place
• 2006 CCTV Media Park, Beijing, 2nd Place
• 2006 Zhuoyue Times Plaza Phase II, Shenzhen, 1st Place

These are only a few of many. The company was established in 1999 and is run by three partners and some 68 employees both in Shenzhen and Beijing. The partners are:

• Xiaodu Liu Principal: Founding partner, Mr. Liu received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Tsinghua University, and Master of Architecture degree from Miami University, Oxford, OH. He has 6 years teaching experience in Tsinghua University. Further to this he has over twenty years of experience as an architecture.
• Yan MENG Principal: Founding partner, Mr. Meng received his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Tsinghua University, and Master of Architecture from Miami University. He worked with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC and Meltzer/Mandl Architects in New York City.
• Hui WANG Principal: Founding partner, Mr. Wang received both of his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Tsinghua University, and a Master of Architecture degree from Miami University. He used to teach at the Central Academy of Arts and Design.

Studio Pei-Zhu

These guys have received plenty of media lately by getting the coveted stadium project of the “nest” in Beijing. The nest is the Olympic Stadium that will encapsule thousands of people from all over the world when they visit Beijing for the Olympic Games this year.

The company is small with less than 20 staff and their design philosophy is to provide practical solutions while reflecting strong and innovative thinking.

Studio Pei-Zhu was established in 2005 and they have also won quite a few competitions during their time:

• 2006 Ningbo Book City international competition
• 2005 Office Building of Ningbo Urban Planning Bureau competition, 1st Prize
• 2004 Digital Beijing, Beijing Olympic project international competition, 1st Prize

Headed by:

• Pei-Zhu Principal and Founder: Pei-Zhu received his Master of Architecture degree from Tsinghua University, China and his Master of Architecture and Urban Design Degree from University of California, Berkeley, USA. Pei-Zhu has won many important international and national competitions and was also invited to lecture in schools all around the globe.
• Tong Wu Design Principal: Here are some of Tong Wu’s career steps leading up to her current position with Pei-Zhu

1997 Tsinghua University, Academy Art Design, Graduate student
1999 Dortmund Institute of Application Technology, exchange student
2000 Tsinghua University, Academy Art Design, Teaching assistant
2003-present _Art and Design_,_Design_,art director
2004-present Studio Pei-zhu, design principal