Interview with Li-Yu Cheng

Li-Yu Cheng ("LC") interviewed on Wednesday, 11 November.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

LC : Graduated from the architecture department of Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan in 2007. After military service and 2-year career experience in the spatial design field, Studio X4 was founded in 2010. In 2019, became a national certified architect and started tenure as the lecturer in the interior design department of Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan.

How did you become a designer?

LC : To be an architect (and designer) was a dream since I was little. I remembered that I was fascinated by the possibilities of structural variation while playing Lego, the construction toy, in my childhood. And years by years, I found myself getting interested in analyzing massing and proportion of buildings. Through my upbringing experience, I realized architectural design comprises not only art forms but also practical solutions which helps and betters the surrounding locality. And it’s truly grateful I am what I wanted to become.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

LC : Sufficient daylighting, air movement, and textured details.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

LC : After the commissioned design contract, the designing is the most exciting and crucial phase of holistic master-planning. It’s not only mattering how functions will be formed, but also examining our capabilities to solve clients' actual requirements.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

LC : I love to make friends with people, and luckily, I am quite insightful to know the true, ultimate, need of them. During my career experiences, most of my clients were not able to clearly express their actual needs and desires, either due to unfamiliarity with design theories, or not knowing themselves well enough. Understanding the further connotations of clients requests speeds up the process of design proposals.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

LC : Though it might be too realistic to say, I wish to build a community that unites every field of art and design: architecture, spatial design, industrial design, sculpture, photography, multimedia interfaces…etc. To create a communal cultural hub in the city, educate people and better the society.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

LC : No pain no gain. Every achievement worths equivalent efforts. Never underestimate the preparation and hard work should pay before any accomplishments. Some students tend to design public accommodation like airports or train stations. However, they don’t have the whole knowledge of designing a house. In my point of view, this interesting fact can be traced from their eagerness to make a difference in some specific colleges. Thus, here comes the two extremes of higher education in architecture: A part of graduate students put the theory they learned into practice by learning woodwork, machinery and plasterwork at school. On the other hand, some students do some dramatic drawing of striking structure but not knowing how to build it. It’s like a heritage of the 1980’s crush on outer space exploration in Japan, which was an epitome of time indeed. However, most of the design wasn’t always functional. That’s why so many students join film industries to do scene design. It’s easier for them to carry out fancy shapes and forms in a gravity-free space. Within these two extremes, I prefer to sit on the fence. For me, the priority of design is to solve the problems and resolve complications. I encourage students to follow in masters’ steps like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. At the age of 20 to 40, they were designing houses. They engaged in large projects and commercial buildings only when they were mature enough. This way, you can handle different scales in every new case, eventually knowing which one suits you most. Otherwise, we will lose the delicacy of space design if everyone dives into large scale projects.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

LC : The winner projects of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in recent years are from local or small studios, which tells us these designs stand out from the rest for their quality rather than in scale. Today’s society needs no heroic individualism, but always lacks unison of designing solutions. I believe if every designer keeps dedicating their strength, and ultimately, work together. Design can make more contributions to all classes of people and influence the society.

What is your day to day look like?

LC : On a daily basis, to prioritize tasks and errands in the morning. Maximum 3 meetings or group talks in the afternoon. Treat myself with a few quiet hours for meditation or extra curriculums after work.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

LC : Neither latest trends nor personal design styles. Because there is no certain measure that can resolve all spatial requirements. The core value of design shall stick on the best solution package of a project, not blind to trendy styles.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

LC : Aesthetic is subjective; on the other hand, judgment is objective. I rarely put hashtags on design projects for whether it's good or not. In my humble opinion, the key factor of a reputable design work is whether it subconsciously resonates with users/observers' emotions and experience. Thus, the definition of a good design varies from times to times.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

LC : Most properties, techniques, and style issues can be modified in further discussion with clients. However, daylighting, air movement, and textured details are needed to prioritize at the very initial phase; otherwise the project might seemly good in looking, but lack in functionality. Thus, as long as the mentioned 3 main factors are meticulously planned, the design proposal is nearly to complete.

What is your biggest design work?

LC : The Transparency, one of our residential projects in 2020. Notable features of this project are nothing about its scale, but for its minimalist living form. The massing, proportion, and penetration are crucial to be composed of architecture interior space. The wall is considered as a single composition of a three-dimensional framework. After being cladded with bent stainless steel, the wall metamorphoses into a functional carrier, which encompasses lighting, bears kitchen, sanitary, storage, pipes, air-cons…etc, essential fixtures of daily living. While natural light refracts into the curvy wall, its hairline luster adds an enticing touch to spatial forms and expression. It was amazing that the client's audacity to tend an obscure and philosophical habitation.

Who is your favourite designer?

LC : I. M. Pei. I felt lucky that I made up my mind to be a designer/architect since I was a kid, so there’s no particular outer forces that lead me to become who I am now. However, overviewing my past decade experience, when few extremely hard times, it recalls me to the great architect, I. M. Pei. Despite his phenomenal masterpieces worldwide, his characteristics of resilience before all those great accomplishments, which really encourages me to endure difficulties and become better.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

LC : Taiwan is a place with complicated histories. Since the migration of KMT to Taiwan in 1949, people have mixed lives with former Fujian immigrants. After 2 to 3 generations, varied cultures integrated. Due to its complexity, sometimes we’re not sure which one we belong to. We are more like the mirror inherently. We switch between different cultures and eventually develop our own one. This is the most distinctive part of culture in Taiwan, which unconsciously affect our all-embracing aesthetics

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

LC : Everyone has to know his/her strength and qualities very well, and always be enthusiastic to keep bettering himself/herself. So the team will strive and become powerful day by day.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

LC : Design can be obviously seen on physical products, architectures, artworks… etc; furthermore, we can probe into thoughtful connotations of design, such as: science, ergonomics, local culture, historical backdrops...etc. As a designer or architect, we don’t need to give back the community with physical objects. Spreading design notions to everyone around us is definitely bettering the world.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

LC : Participating in design awards is not just for self-fulfillment, but also to present newer, innovative creativity to the world. It’s always good to have a platform to share design ideas from multiple fields worldwide, and A’design is definitely one of the authoritative influencers of today’s design.

Li-Yu Cheng Profile