During our interview series the judges will tell us what they are looking out for in a winning entry and why they think you should enter the WAN awards.
Hihope Zhu is the founder of China based architecture firm ARCHIHOPE LTD. He graduated from Italy’s Politecnico di Milano with a Masters in Design Management and also holds a Masters in Architecture from Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar (Germany).
Why should people enter the WAN awards? What are the benefits in your view?
In my opinion, the WAN Awards are a highly prestigious international award that allow participants to exchange ideas with elites from all over the world through their work. Most importantly, the WAN Awards are a platform that provide participants with opportunities for reflection and improvement. The evaluations and feedback from top international experts will help participants discover their strengths and areas for improvement. This will continuously improve their design skills and professional level. Of course the opportunity of gaining international recognition, exposure, professional communication, project opportunities and personal growth are also not to be missed!
What attracted you to becoming a judge for the WAN awards?
Firstly, the reputation and popularity of the WAN Awards are undoubtedly important reasons that attracted me. The WAN Awards have established a reputation in the global architecture industry for over 15 years. Therefore, as a judge, I am honoured to have this opportunity to communicate with elite peers in architecture.
At the same time, I hope to contribute to the advancement and innovation of architecture by reviewing the outstanding works. I believe that becoming a WAN Award judge will also be an important milestone for my personal and professional growth.
What sort of scheme would you most like to see among the entries?
Clear positioning. If the design is not green, environmentally-friendly or sustainable, describing it in that way is not suggested. The judges are sharp. I’ll also be looking for clear expression, subject and concept. Project description’s should align with the images to evoke the jury's imagination of an immersive experience, and to clearly illustrate project characteristics in a clear rather than complicated way. The key point is to clearly show what demands are fulfilled and what value is created in a certain context.
Tell us about some of your recent projects:
The BMW Experience Center, Chengdu - the owner wanted the building to become a dynamic and remarkable volume, which meant it would be easy to identify from the high-speed railway and highway across from the building, and to incorporate BMW's concept of being environmentally-friendly and sustainable.
Chengdu Baochuang MINI Showroom Complex
We made full use of the unified design of the architecture, landscape and interiors to create a site with a double function. A Mini commercial complex, which serves as both a showroom for MINI cars and a mini social complex for the public with galleries, coffee and retail.