We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Hang Chen ("HC").
Hang Chen is a national registered urban and rural planner, landscape engineer, and outstanding interior designer in Guangdong Province, China. With a value orientation of "smart construction", he conducts planning and design projects tailored to specific commissions and local conditions in the fields of urban and rural planning, cultural and tourism development, architecture and landscape. His comprehensive practice strives to comply with regional development laws and maximize comprehensive value.
Hang Chen Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Hang Chen.
Hang Chen Design - City Fields Complex Functional Urban Area
Hang Chen Design - Urban Pastoral Affordable Rental Houses
Hang Chen Design - Artisan Echoes Culture Street
Designer Interview of Hang Chen:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
HC : I’m a national registered urban and rural planner, landscape engineer, and outstanding interior designer in Guangdong Province, China. In the beginning, I only studied the subject of design because I did. In the process of practice afterwards, I gradually realized that I could make a great contribution to the development of society and the improvement of people's quality of life through design. So, with continuous persistence and efforts, I became a professional designer.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
HC : Our team is dedicated to the fields of urban and rural planning, architecture, landscape and interior design, applying core strategies of project planning, landscape optimization, architectural shaping and operational support, aiming to create an ideal living environment. At the same time, based on the value of “smart construction”, our designs follow the laws of regional development and aim at maximizing comprehensive value. Based on specific commissions and local conditions, we explore how to fully develop and utilize each piece of land to maximize the value of the project under the trend of urban and rural development, using various design techniques such as ecological design, cultural design and innovative design.
DI: What is "design" for you?
HC : I believe that design is an important means of creating an ideal living environment, which can make people's lives better.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
HC : Urban & Rural Planning, Architecture and Landscape Design.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
HC : My biggest design work is City Fields Complex Functional Urban Area. I started from the original value of the city, respecting the characteristics of itself, and integrated the elements of mountain, water and fields into the urban design of the high-speed railway station area, creating a charming place where people can intuitively perceive the characteristics of the city as soon as they come out of the high-speed railway station. Some people only see the city in terms of monetary value, but I tried to make them understand the value of the city from multiple perspectives, such as ecology, economy, culture and urban vitality, and finally got the approval. It is a monumental and comprehensive project, and I will continue to improve myself to maximize the comprehensive value of the design practice with "smart construction" as the guide.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
HC : A residential area known as a benchmark residence in Chengdu, but that was many years ago.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
HC : It depends on the actual needs of the project, I don't have too obvious preferences, everything is adapted to local conditions.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
HC : Maybe morning? Maybe night? Maybe when walking and taking a bath?
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
HC : My main concern is how to maximize the comprehensive value of the design according to local conditions.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
HC : I think my emotions are excitement and happiness, especially when a good idea arises.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
HC : I would feel indescribably happy.
DI: What makes a design successful?
HC : Unusual focus, love for the world and exceptional talent will make a design successful.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
HC : The standard I judge a good design is that it creatively solves the corresponding problems, such as being suitable for users, creating social value, having an impact on promoting social development, and having a beautiful and fashionable appearance.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
HC : It is the most prominent responsibility of designers to build an ideal living environment, to promote the benign development of cities and to pay attention to the fairness of existence beyond human beings.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
HC : Design is evolving towards the field of maximizing integrated value. The future of design must consider not one-sided value, but a better life and a more livable environment through integrated means.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
HC : My last exhibition was at the Jinshi Art Museum in Shenzhen, China, in 2018. My next exhibition is not yet scheduled.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
HC : This is less certain and may happen in many places or may be uninterruptedly inspired at different times.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
HC : I’m dedicated to the fields of urban and rural planning, architecture, landscape and interior design, applying core strategies of project planning, landscape optimization, architectural shaping and operational support, aiming to create an ideal living environment. At the same time, based on the value of “smart construction”, my designs follow the laws of regional development and aim at maximizing comprehensive value. Based on specific commissions and local conditions, I explore how to fully develop and utilize each piece of land to maximize the value of the project under the trend of urban and rural development, using various design techniques such as ecological design, cultural design and innovative design.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
HC : I am currently working in Shenzhen, China. Shenzhen is one of the creative cities in the world, and design has largely influenced the city's construction and people's lives. It can be said that the development of Shenzhen is inseparable from design. At the same time, Shenzhen is a very open city, willing to accept new ideas and try new methods. To a certain extent, this has led me to develop a style of keeping up with design trends and constantly updating myself, so that I can make better designs.
DI: How do you work with companies?
HC : As a partner.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
HC : I think the company needs to give the designer enough respect and honor for the work he is doing. At the same time, the company can choose to work with the designer based on his demonstrated design ability.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
HC : My design procedure is to fully communicate the needs with the client first, then conduct field research based on the characteristics of the project, and formulate a comprehensive value-maximizing solution through the analysis of various data, so that the client can have added value while doing this.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
HC : Models of Urban Pastoral Affordable Rental Houses, Artisan Echoes Culture Street, City Fields Complex Functional Urban Area, Ninghui Yuefu Cultural Building and N-Park Waste-Free Theme Park.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
HC : Combine your own work with your ideals, and truly use your own design skills to solve the comprehensive problems you face, instead of dealing with design with templated thinking and copy-and-paste working methods.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
HC : I think outstanding imagination, decision-making ability and execution ability are the outstanding qualities of a successful designer. Imagination determines whether creative ideas can be generated to solve problems, decision-making ability determines whether correct judgment can be made, and execution ability determines whether things can produce results. Then, you may also need some supporting partners, and the client is one of the partners.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
HC : When I feel tired of my work, I relax through exercise and outdoor excursions to refresh my mind and to be able to design creatively.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
HC : The time taken is not always the same and varies from project to project. If I were to give an estimate of how long it usually takes, I could give a provisional estimate of a month.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
HC : My clients include Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen, Poly Development Holding Group Co., Ltd., Handan Fuxing City and Transportation Construction Investment Co., and Qiubei County Xingyu Urbanisation Investment and Development Co., etc.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
HC : I’m dedicated to the fields of urban and rural planning, architecture, landscape and interior design. I think they’re interesting and intuitively make living environments better.
DI: How can people contact you?
HC : People can contact me via ch19911027@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to everyone getting in touch with me.