Interview with Jintao Zhai

Jintao Zhai ("JZ") interviewed on Saturday, 28 June.

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

JZ : My design journey began at Fuzhou University (2014-2019), where I earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Landscape Architecture, followed by a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2021-2024). After graduating, I co-foundedWill & Tao Design Incin New York, focusing on interdisciplinary design that bridges cultural narratives and sustainable innovation.

How did you become a designer?

JZ : Growing up in China’s rapidly urbanizing cities, I witnessed how design shapes human experiences. My undergraduate studies revealed landscape architecture’s power to heal communities, while my graduate work at Michigan refined my belief: Architecture must respond to cultural memory while pioneering ecological resilience. It’s a mission, not just a career.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

JZ : Three pillars guide my work:Contextual Sensitivity(dialogue with heritage and environment)，Human-Centered Iteration(prototyping spatial experiences).Material Honesty(expressing sustainability through tactile choices).I blend hand sketches and parametric tools, valuing physical models to test spatial narratives before digital refinement.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

JZ : The initial concept phase electrifies me – it’s where chaos crystallizes into possibility. Yet true fulfillment comes from witnessing users inhabit spaces we envisioned. Design is empathy materialized; that translation from abstract idea to lived emotion is my deepest joy.

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

JZ : Beyond technical training,cross-cultural negotiation(navigating East-West design philosophies) andnarrative storytelling(framing design logic for diverse stakeholders) proved crucial. My mentor at Michigan taught me: "Great architecture speaks first to the heart, then to the mind.

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

JZ : With Will & Tao, we aim to redefine"Cultural Infrastructure"– libraries, community centers – as catalysts for social equity. My dream project? A migratory cultural hub along the Silk Road, using adaptive reuse to celebrate nomadic heritage in a climate-responsive framework.

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

JZ : 1、Embrace constraints– they breed innovation. 2、Design with your feet– site immersion reveals invisible narratives. 3、Seek criticism, not validation.

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

JZ : Avoid the "signature style trap." Respond to project DNA, not your portfolio. Invest in "slow research" – spend a week mapping neighborhood rituals before drafting. True innovation lies in listening beyond the brief.

What is your day to day look like?

JZ : Mornings begin with tea and hand-drawing meditation. Postnoons are collaborative deep work with our team, evenings for global design webinars. The highlight? Watching interns reinterpret our sketches – their fresh eyes refuel my creativity.

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

JZ : Trends are data points, not dogma. I track biomimicry and AI-driven spatial analysis via platforms likeDezeenandArchinect, but cultural sustainability remains my anchor. A building should whisper its place’s history while breathing with the future.

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

JZ : Good design answers "why" before "how." Three litmus tests:1、Does it dignify its users? 2、Will it age with grace? 3、Does it give more to the environment than it takes? Avoid the "iconic but irrelevant" pitfall.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

JZ : A design is ready when stakeholders forget it’s "designed" – when space feels inherently inevitable. We prototype until the solution seems obvious, then step back. Perfection is the enemy of relevance; architecture must live, evolve, and sometimes scar.

What is your biggest design work?

JZ : Jiangmen Tech City, embodies my core ethos. We transformed a derelict industrial site into a climate-responsive cultural incubator. Its kinetic roof adapts to weather patterns, while modular interiors foster impromptu collaborations. It’s architecture as a living system—not a static monument.

Who is your favourite designer?

JZ : Liu Jiakuntaught me vernacular’s revolutionary potential.Zaha Hadidredefined ecological tectonics. If I could converse with a departed master?Lina Bo Bardi– her brutalist poetry fused social justice with raw beauty.

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

JZ : New York’s kinetic energy fuels me, but Fuzhou’s intimate lanwei alleys live in my bones. I design with jazz – its improvisational logic mirrors architectural problem-solving. Small design ritual? Hand-writing letters to clients; slowing communication deepens understanding.

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

JZ : Will & Tao operates as a"laboratory of voices"– architects, anthropologists, even poets co-create. Key partner criteria? Intellectual humility and obsessive curiosity. Our core challenge? Balancing commercial pragmatism with radical experimentation.

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

JZ : We dedicate 10% capacity to"Architecture for Diaspora"– pro bono designs preserving migrant communities’ cultural memory. Recently, we transformed a Brooklyn laundromat into a Cantonese elders’ storytelling hub. Design’s highest calling? To be a vessel for belonging.

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

JZ : Winning gold was profoundly validating. Two key benefits:1、Global credibility– awards are passports for young practices.2、Critical reflection– the jury’s critique refined our manifesto. Being "Designer of the Day"? A reminder that architecture is a marathon of daily passions.

Jintao Zhai Profile