DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
GFAYC : We have integrate local traditional culture and history into the modern lifestyle, while also having an international aesthetic. Since the project is located in Suzhou, China, which is a city with a history of over two thousand years. Ever since the ancient times, it has been a rich and cultural place. Qianlong, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, visited the city of Suzhou many times, because it is a place with a unique charm. The characteristics of houses here are gray roofs and white walls, simple and elegant. In addition, the Suzhou gardens are also very unique. Ancient literati will create images of the landscape in their own gardens. We also use this design concept in this project.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
GFAYC : When designing this project, we mainly focused on the way modernity, comfort, and local traditional culture all seamlessly fits together. We wish to achieve that a family living here can enjoy a modern and comfortable life without feeling disconnected from the local culture, and to allow people in this space feel that they are in the Chinese Jiangnan city of Suzhou.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
GFAYC : To let more people know about and further understand this project.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
GFAYC : For the conceptual plan we spent 4 months to complete, and we spent 6 months to finalize the overall design.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
GFAYC : We visited the owner and her family, visited local museums and famous gardens, read relevant local historical documents, and finally found the design concept. This project is a design commission.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
GFAYC : We did not want to design a very traditional Suzhou residential house, nor did we want to design an general internationalized house without local characteristics. Thus we wanted to skillfully balance the two, which was our initial desire for this design.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
GFAYC : Indeed, we really like the Suzhou Museum designed by Mr. Ieoh Ming Pei. His ancestral home was in fact Suzhou.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
GFAYC : Our target customers would be the people who has passion for Chinese culture as well as having an international perspective.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
GFAYC : This project is both very regional, and at the same time, internationalized. It is a blend of the Orient as well as the West.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
GFAYC : We wanted the name to display the traditional culture of “Suzhou”, we applied it in the name. We wish that people who sees it can associate it with the city it is in.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
GFAYC : When we found the design inspiration, we did a lot of hand-drawn perspective sketches of the space, which can help us feel the space more intuitively. Computers are obviously also necessary tools in the design process.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
GFAYC : We think that the most unique thing about this project is that most of the furnitures and lamps are Italian made, but they possess an oriental feel in the space.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
GFAYC : The project's creator was I worked with my partner Yan Chen, and we have been working together since 1993. Of course, we have also worked with lighting companies, smart-electronics companies, HVAC companies, landscape companies, decoration companies, and professional carpet manufacturers to achieve this work.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
GFAYC : Technology plays a big role. Because the simpler the design is, the greater level of perfection is needed, and therefore it requires more exquisite and strict technical support.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
GFAYC : The project was not affected by data or analytical studies. However we did visit museums and famous gardens in Suzhou, as well as Italian furniture and lighting shops. We have also read some related books and online materials.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
GFAYC : The biggest challenge we face is how to design a space with local characteristics without symbolic elements. Since traditional architecture in Suzhou has many symbolic elements, such as wooden windows, complex brick carvings, and mahogany furniture, in the end we abandoned these elements, and only used the white colored walls to summarize the expression of the characteristics. Another challenge we encountered was that the main space in this house was facing north. The room facing the north in this area was dark and cold due to the lack of sunlight in the winter. This is why we greatly utilized the color white, as we can use reflection of light to brighten the lighting in the entire space. This is also the interior and exterior colors of traditional Suzhou buildings.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
GFAYC : We are quite satisfied with this design and the construction was completed at a high standard as well, therefore we wish to share with more people and participate in the international design competition is a good medium for sharing.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
GFAYC : Through the process of designing this project, we learned how to better communicate with customers and constructors, and how to better achieve a design project. We have also learned that it is very important to provide comprehensive services to customers. Having a client who fully understands and respects the designer is very important to the final result of a work.
