Hi, I am a designer raised in Hong Kong and trained in New York. I have 2.5 years of professional experience. I care deeply about inclusive design and designing for the aging community, especially the role that the built environment plays to support and empower. I hope to weave my professional pursuits with my personal motivations.
Outside of work, I am an avid Muay Thai fighter. I train at least 3x a week and aspire to compete in amateur tournaments. I am also a freelance illustrator taking commissions on a case by case basis (please see my separate illustration website for more information).
small.family, Hong Kong, Founder & Illustrator
small.family is my freelance illustration handle as well as a vibrant community of hand drawn architectural scaled figures. It is a direct response to renderings (and the people that inhabit them) being too often viewed, curated and created through a white male gaze. This is an ongoing project. Website has been visited by over 13,000 people around the world.
As a result of industry initiative, I was invited to speak at Syracuse University at their inaugural symposium on inclusive design. This website (small.family) has been featured in Madame Architect (Online Magazine) twice, under the series #CreativeComplements (August 2020), #DaysWith (November 2020) & ASSOCIATION Vol 12.
Gensler, New York, Job Captain
NY-Work 4
Studio Director: Joshua Katz
2018 - 2019
- AT&T Xandr HQ, (Supported Lead Designer and Lead Project Architect in all phases of design)
- Project Awarded by Crain's New York Business 2020, Coolest Offices in New York, Retrofit Category
- Project listed as finalist for 2020 NYCxDESIGN Awards in Corporate Office Category
2019 - 2020
- M&T Bank HQ, 1 M&T Plaza, Buffalo, New York (Supported Lead Designer and Lead Project Architect in all phases of design.)
- Confidential Financial Services Firm, Client Center, Chater House, Hong Kong, (FF&E, & Design Development)
- Deloitte Charlotte (Assisted with Construction Documentation)
- Deloitte Harborside Renovation (Lead Project Architect)
- Capital One 14th Floor and 31st Floor Renovations (Lead Project Architect)
- Ares Capital Management Renovation, 4000 SF (Lead Project Architect)
Leadership in Firm-wide Initiatives
- Spearheaded a quarterly networking event for young architects in NYC. Attended by over 150 people with representation from over 8 firms in Architecture, Engineering and Real estate. Invited to AIA Women in Architecture Committee meetings as a result of this industry initiative. (Ongoing)
- Presented Cornell senior thesis on designing for Alzheimer's to Gensler's Inclusivity Network (GIN). Call was attended by over 50 people firm-wide. Recommended by GIN for proprietary product development pitch.
- Co-led firm wide Happy Hour. Attended by over 700 people. Managed team, collaborators, building management and budget. Despite having a lower budget, we organized a higher frequency of themed events to foster and grow firm's culture. Team stayed within budget. (Ongoing)
- Leader of social committee for 45 person studio. Brought back studio wide "cake day", organized pasta night, picnic and holiday white elephant parties to foster relationships and build greater rapport in studio. Managed budget for activities and events. (Ongoing)
see less
Gensler, New York, Architectural Intern
NY-Work 4
Studio Director: David Weinberg
- Role: Architectural Intern for One Citi HQ
- Assisted Lead Designer in FF&E design presentations. Created renderings and assisted with furniture selection for client center.
- Shadowed Project Architects during site visits and site supervision
- Assisted with Construction Documents mark ups, specifically for bathrooms, elevations and millwork details for amenity and trading floors.
- Assisted Project Architects in issuing construction sketches and answering RFI's
- Reviewed finish submittals and millwork shop drawings
Gensler X Groundswell
- Led group to create award winning project featured in Architectural Digest Magazine.
- Gensler's internship program includes Summer Studio. A design studio which the internship class works together on a summer long pro bono project. The internship class was broken into four groups of six, with each group designing a different pop up installation to commemorate the opening of Groundswell's 500th mural.
- Celebrated Groundswell's history by documenting 100 of the organization's past murals. The group designed a label featuring a mural along with its title, artists, year completed and location in NYC. Labels were placed on paint cans to symbolize the origins of these paintings.
Slade Architecture, New York, Architectural Intern
- Experience & Architectural Designer for Smile Direct Club Flagship Store on 242, 5th Avenue
- Project won 2017 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year, Environmental Branding
- Collaborated with Branding Agency
- Mapped out user experience diagrams
- Ideation of final storefront and visualization
- Supported Lead Designer with Construction Documentation
- Project completed in collaboration with Ruby Kaur (B.Arch 2018) and Sisi Yi (B.Arch 2018)
China Exploration & Research Society, Hong Kong, Cultural Preservation Intern
- Camera Assistant for National Geographic explorers (Wong How Man & Bill Bleisch) at three CERS expedition sites, Zhongdian (Shangri-La), Yak Cheese Factory, and the Golden Monkey/Lisu Hill Tribe Site
- Assisted in the documentation of Tibetan vernacular housing and villages.
- Teaching assistant for 10 middle school students. Organized and led activities that fostered collaboration and play between local Tibetan and Hong Kong students.
Llewelyn Davies, Hong Kong, Architectural Intern
- Produced renderings and schematic design drawings for the renovation of The Quarry Bay School, Stanley Pier and the Hong Kong University Library.
Cornell University, Ithaca, BArch, Architecture
- Study abroad semesters in Rome, Italy (Fall 2015), and NYC (Fall 2016)
- Thesis: Forgetting Space - The Architecture of Dementia in Hong Kong
