Zehui Li: Winner of the Unfinished Colosseum

+ Zehui Li 🇨🇳
Winner of the Unfinished Colosseum
Portfolio: https://www.non-a.com/members/louisli1992/
1) Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My lifelong romance with art and form was born with studies in Chinese calligraphy, a passion that has extended beyond Xuan paper and into the built environment. As a trained architectural designer and urbanist, my design approach revolves around creating inspiring, sustainable, and highly functional environments. Outside of work, I continue practicing calligraphy and enjoy photography, cycling, being active and reading.
2) What inspired you for the competition?
There are mainly two thinking perspectives: Firstly, the incoming and potential conversations among the existing historic Colosseum, the urban context, and my competition work. Secondly, it’s about how to use the grand and holy geometry of the Colosseum to give birth to my design.
3) Can you describe any particular challenges you faced during the design process and how
you overcame them?
I struggled to determine the extent to which my design complexity, including the geometrical form and the program’s richness, should be. The best way to optimize the design is to keep sketching and iterating the layout. Being skeptical and critical are always my best friends.
4) How do you think your educational background or professional experiences influenced your winning design?
My educational background at Carnegie Mellon taught me fruitful design thinking. One step further, CannonDesign is offering me an inclusive working environment in which to practice humanitarian design.
5) What advice would you give to students or young professionals looking to excel in architecture competitions?
Keep open-minded and value those aha moments.
6) What are your future aspirations in the field of architecture?
A simple goal for current stage: smooth transition from efficient follower to influential leader.


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