Transforming Needs into Meaningful Spaces: Designing with Wen-Hsueh Wu

Being recognised as the Gold Winners of two projects by such a highly regarded international award is a great encouragement. It validates our design philosophy and motivates us to continue creating with confidence, curiosity, and responsibility.

This award marks an important milestone in our journey. It strengthens our visibility within the design industry and helps us build connections with multidisciplinary professionals internationally. We hope it will open the door to broader collaborations and new opportunities in the future.

Experimentation is essential to our process. In A Fusion of Nature and Culture, we initially planned to keep all bedrooms. Through continuous discussion and revisions, we chose to remove one bedroom to create a more open dining area, improving circulation, spatial connection, and practical functions.

Inspiration often comes from responding to what exists right in front of us — a phrase, a natural scene, a colour combination, or even a random moment. These impressions stay in memory and sometimes reappear unconsciously, later transforming into design ideas.

Design is the result of logical evaluation shaped by emotional reflection, interpreted needs, and individual character. A good design should convey an idea, create positive change, or resonate emotionally — first with the designer, and then with others who share similar values.

Rather than creating conflict, we integrate ideas. By building genuine partnerships with our clients — sharing experiences, values, and perspectives — we combine their expectations with our professional methodology, often achieving results that exceed both sides’ original expectations.

Imagination and reality do not always align, unfortunately. Challenges such as subjective preferences, budget constraints, and functional requirements are inevitable. We address these by returning to the project’s core values, allowing understanding to guide solutions. To us, challenges are not about compromise, but about clarity and alignment.

Sometimes, creative blocks make me feel constrained. In those moments, I choose to slow down- to reconnect with nature, explore new activities, observe the city from different perspectives, and listen closely to the world around me. These quiet pauses help me reset and translate fresh insights into a renewed design language.

I believe inspiration exists everywhere- in people, environments, and human behaviours. I’m deeply aware of how our actions affect others and the places we inhabit. Through observation and respect, I aim to translate these experiences into designs that give back, encouraging mindfulness, balance, and a more thoughtful relationship between people and their surroundings with sustainability and preservation awareness.

Be authentic to yourself and to the industry. Stay curious and passionate. Strong belief, consistent execution, and deep understanding are the forces that sustain long-term growth.

There are many designers I truly admire, but Frank Gehry stands out to me. His sculptural and iconic approach, combined with structural clarity and feasibility, represents a balance between artistic expression and practical realisation that I deeply respect.