Chuan Wang

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Chuan Wang ("CW") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

CW : I have industrial, architectural and landscape design, three background.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

CW : Being a designer is just a natural interest for me. I actually wanted to be a scientist when I was a kid, and I always thought I'd be a scientist or an engineer. My father teaches mathematics and used to work in the Beijing institute of atomic energy, he did something similar to the applied mathematics which motivated me to be a scientist. But as I mentioned, my own interest is the best motivation and I am eager to create something beneficial to people or the environment.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

CW : We don't really differentiate between one type and another, and we like designs that are challenging. The more extreme the design conditions, the more excited we get.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

CW : A good designer can make a thing without mistakes and even efficiently, but a great designer can make a design benefit the entire society and human beings. It has the value to guide the whole trend in addition to just solving problems. Although we use the idea of ​​solving problems, we must have our own values.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

CW : I will check does it have any social goals and at the same time, time is also a relatively important measure. After many years of design, does it still inspiring? A good design may have more costs in the beginning, but it can have longer-term benefits in the long run.I think design is about reconsidering the relationship between people and the environment or surroundings. It can make people's life more efficient and more comfortable, and more harmonious with their surroundings.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

CW : I think design is about reconsidering the relationship between people and the environment or surroundings. It can make people's life more efficient and more comfortable, and more harmonious with their surroundings.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

CW : I really want to do something for children in village, whose life conditions is poor and inconvenient.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

CW : It might be some urban design for a particularly poor place as I mentioned. Nowadays, urban design basically is in some most developed cities. There is no such opportunity because poor places have little implementation power, and it will not ask you to do it. This kind of project is rare, and many of it is just some social activities, or something more like a regional design, which have strong development attributes.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

CW : Thinking from different professions while maintaining your own values.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

CW : Peter Eisenman

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

CW : I think design is about reconsidering the relationship between people and the environment or surroundings. Design can make people's life more efficient and more comfortable, and more harmonious with their surroundings. Industrial designers sort out the relationship between people and objects, landscape architectural designers establish the relationship between people and the environment, and the urban design project sorts out the relationship between people and society.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

CW : It must be my co-partners. Among our four partners, we are in a mutually supportive relationship. In a long enough practice, since our partners have different backgrounds and nationalities, we can learn from each other.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

CW : We are working on the civil cede ring, which is the first civil law theme park in China, and also the first time we have tried to do this kind of conceptual theme design. We used modern and international design techniques, and we added regional elements in it. We didn't rely on the local or use too much local materials and forms. This project is comprehensive enough, it is a park plan and also includes landscape design and architecture, we also try to integrate this cultural attribute into the landscape. We will certainly try more different types of design in the future.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

CW : The most important thing is to help them understand their relationship with the environment.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

CW : The design was originally designed to better solve the relationship between human individuals and environment, ecology, and society, which can cause people to think more about their position in the entire environment.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

CW : The development of technology will definitely bring about great changes in the design industry. Technology will replace many functional designs, but the design of this kind of values ​​and this relationship must still be done by people ourselves.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

CW : The boundaries of design are bound to blur. We go from product design to urban planning, and many times we use the same values and ideas. And then the future of the design. I think it's the same thing, you don't really differentiate between what kind of design, and in the future it may be a cross-cutting category, and even design can lead to engineering and construction.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

CW : It depends. If you do it fast, you only need an hour. On the downside, it can take weeks to find the starting point that you think is right for you. If the design resonates very strongly, you may have thought through all the major elements of the design in a very short time.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

CW : In general, I think it is the design driven by the trend. First of all, it is the development of the entire society drive the development of design. Next, good design will let us rethink this relationship.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

CW : What is your profound and long-term thoughts behind our design.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

CW : Of course, we have always been a partnership and have 4 partners.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

CW : I think you if have done a good job, naturally someone will pay attention to you. Famous is an additional result.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

CW : When we are designing, many times we are going to become people who help them solve technical barriers, but technical barriers do not refer to that specific technical method. When we are doing projects that we are good at, since he interacts in various fields, we need to promote mutual understanding. Just like we have our own landscape construction team, architectural construction team, and indoor construction team below, but our design needs to consider these aspects at the same time, and finally it becomes an overall plan. This is kind of special for me.