Q: Where are you from?
I’m from Nanyang, a small, historic city in the central plains of China.
Q: Where did you go to school?
I received my bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the Southwest University of Science and Technology in China, and then moved to the states and attended graduate school at UC Berkeley after taking a gap year working and travelling.
Q: Tell me about your family.
I’m the oldest of two, I have a sister who just started high school. Both of my parents were born and raised in Nanyang. My dad is serving for the local department of building and planning inspection, but he studied forest protection in the college and later returned to his hometown where he met my mom. My mom just retired a couple of years ago, she used to be a technician at a chemical plant.
Q: What is the most interesting aspect of architecture to you?
Manipulating the space. It’s an art that empowers me to create space with rationale.
Q: What makes our office unique?
People, people, and people. I’m yet to meet all of the staff in person as most of our office is still working remotely, but all people I’ve worked with are smart, kind, and collaborative. I really appreciate the mentorship.
Q: Did you pick up any new hobbies during quarantine?
I wasn’t a big fan of water activities, but now I’m obsessed with kayaking… quarantine has made me more desperate to get in touch with nature.
Q: What kinds of projects do you most enjoy working on?
I’ve only worked on single family projects at this point – so I couldn’t say if other project types would interest me more, but I’m a logic driven person, so I really enjoy projects with tectonics and novel structures.
Q: What are the top three things on your bucket list?
A ticket to the Mars (a serious face here), hike rim-to-rim in Grand Canyon, see my family when the pandemic is over.
Q: What are five features you would include in your dream home?
A giant horizontal window facing toward the lake, this is the first image that pops up in my mind, an outdoor tub under the canopy of a chestnut tree, a studio surrounded by water, not too much furniture. I want to keep it as simple as possible, and maybe a gaming room can only be accessed from a secret door…
Q: Where are you most excited to travel next?
I want to travel to the Faroe Islands. It’s been my desktop background for so long.
Q: Where are you from?
I was born and raised in the East Bay – we hopped around from Fremont, to Danville, to Pleasanton.
Q: Where did you go to school?
I received my B.Arch from University of Oregon.
Q: Tell me about your family.
My dad moved to the US from Poland when he was 6. He still speaks Polish a bit, but I wish we had learned more growing up. My parents both spent most of their formative years on the East Coast. My mom moved to the Bay Area right before college, and my dad followed soon after he met her while on a business trip to the burgeoning Silicon Valley. I have one brother who is 2 years older and lives in Santa Cruz. I am lucky that my immediate family all lives close by!
Q: How did you get your start in architecture? What kind of projects are you drawn to?
My parents were very into visiting open houses when I was a kid. They were not necessarily looking to move, it was more of a curiosity and search for potential ideas to use in their own home – a Pinterest of the 90s, if you will. It was a common weekend activity for my family, and while my brother was often complaining about the prospect of yet another open house, I found myself really taking in the seemingly endless possibilities of each home. From these experiences I knew two things at a relatively young age: I was going to live in a French-style chateau with sparkling black and white tiled floors, and I was going to be an architect. Luckily, only one of those things happened.
Q: What makes our office unique?
From my experience so far, the people. Everyone has something unique to contribute to the firm, and I cannot wait to get to know everyone better once we return to the office!
Q: What is the last show you binge watched?
Currently binging Mare of Easttown. A crime drama AND my girl from Titanic? Yes, please.
Q: Did you pick up any new hobbies during quarantine?
Walking. It has been a very cathartic activity for me, especially during such a weird time.
Q: What are the top three things on your bucket list?
Travel to Ireland and hike the coast with my Mom, complete an oil painting worth hanging, and design my own home.
Q: Have you ever won a contest or award?|
One of my most hard-won was the National Champion title with my high school dance team. We went from not even qualifying freshman year, to 1st place our senior year. It made the victory that much sweeter.
Q: What are five features you would include in your dream home?
Expansive sunset views, a large central fireplace/hearth, entertaining space that spills out into the yard, a wine dispenser, and my own natural hot spring … but I’d settle for a pool-sized hot tub.
