{"id":36212,"date":"2025-03-11T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T09:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=36212"},"modified":"2025-03-17T04:11:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T04:11:44","slug":"on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yijia Xu, a landscape designer with Field Operations, and Zhimin Ma, a San Francisco-based landscape designer specializing in public projects, collaborated on reimagining a mixed-use landscape within one of China’s largest active steel plants. Their design repurposes materials and space, creating a vision that connects industry with an engaged public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yijia<\/strong>: I\u2019m currently a landscape designer with Field Operations. I was trained as an architect before turning to landscape architecture in my master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zhimin<\/strong>: I’m a landscape designer based in San Francisco, focusing primarily on public landscape projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2. What does ‘design’ mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yijia<\/strong>: Design could mean a lot. But personally, design amplifies the sensational experience of the world. I somehow believe good design is not always about inventing new things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the delicacy, curiosity and empathy when you observe the world that could turn the otherwise invisible things feel tangible. In this way, design is both personal and public to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zhimin<\/strong>: Design brings our everyday experiences into poetic storytelling, bridging between the functionality and aesthetics. In landscape design, it\u2019s the practice of transforming neglected spaces into environments that serve not only people but the ecosystem as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q3.What’s your favorite kind of design and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yijia<\/strong>: I appreciate designs that capture the essence of a site. The magic lies in transforming overlooked or neglected spaces into extraordinary experiences. It\u2019s about recognizing every aspect of the site without bias and using thoughtful design to shift public perceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of my favorite examples include the High Line, Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, and Le\u00e7a Swimming Pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zhimin<\/strong>: I admire designs that engage all senses. Thoughtful placemaking, the right combination of materials and plants, and high-standard construction create immersive experiences where you can see, hear, smell, and feel nature’s essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q4. Tell us about your design process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of us pay a lot of attention to the texture of the site. It is not only about the richness of the materials, but also the unique characters of the site, light or heavy, transient or permanent, dynamic or static e.t.c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our first visit to the site, we were struck by the dynamic, ever-changing nature of the steel plant. This inspired us to begin by carefully analyzing the evolving processes within the plant. With production shifting rapidly, our design looked ahead, exploring how future transformations in the steel industry might shape the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We questioned whether the public could become part of this change. Guided by these ideas, we adopted a phasing strategy, introduced pilot projects, and emphasized materiality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central to our approach was “creative crafting”\u2014blending the cognitive and physical aspects of steelmaking to inspire both industry and community interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Congratulations! As the winner of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This award is a significant milestone for our team, validating our effort to reimagine industrial spaces as living, evolving environments. It highlights the value of blending sustainability, creativity, and the ongoing industrial transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition inspires us to further pursue transformative projects, encouraging us to push boundaries and explore new ways of connecting industry sites with the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crafting the Landscape in an Active Steel Plant<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Explore the journey of Yafei Zhang<\/a>, the Silver Winner of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards. She is the director of Muyi Creation and a design consultant for top hospitality and architectural brands, with over a decade of experience refining materials and proportions to craft elegant, balanced spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yijia Xu, a landscape designer with Field Operations, and Zhimin Ma, a San Francisco-based landscape designer specializing in public projects, collaborated on reimagining a mixed-use landscape [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":36793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[372,540],"tags":[360,12,382],"yoast_head":"\nOn the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Muse.World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/musedotworld\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-11T09:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-17T04:11:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MDA-yijia-xu-zhimin-ma-thumb-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maizura\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@musedotworld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@musedotworld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maizura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/\",\"name\":\"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-11T09:35:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-17T04:11:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/6c06d27dec72f8caef69a58de7057d86\"},\"description\":\"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/\",\"name\":\"Muse.World\",\"description\":\"MUSE Creative Awards | Vega Digital Awards | TITAN Awards\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/6c06d27dec72f8caef69a58de7057d86\",\"name\":\"Maizura\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ec2dc5487c561c4b56a152817a6c14?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ec2dc5487c561c4b56a152817a6c14?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maizura\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/author\/maizura\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality","description":"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality","og_description":"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.","og_url":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/","og_site_name":"Muse.World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/musedotworld","article_published_time":"2025-03-11T09:35:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-17T04:11:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/muse.international\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MDA-yijia-xu-zhimin-ma-thumb-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maizura","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@musedotworld","twitter_site":"@musedotworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maizura","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/","url":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/","name":"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-03-11T09:35:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-17T04:11:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/6c06d27dec72f8caef69a58de7057d86"},"description":"Winner interview with Yijia Xu and Zhimin Ma from China, the Silver Winners of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/on-the-edge-of-change-yijia-xu-zhimin-mas-alternative-landscape-reality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"On the Edge of Change: Yijia Xu & Zhimin Ma\u2019s Alternative Landscape Reality"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#website","url":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/","name":"Muse.World","description":"MUSE Creative Awards | Vega Digital Awards | TITAN Awards","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/6c06d27dec72f8caef69a58de7057d86","name":"Maizura","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ec2dc5487c561c4b56a152817a6c14?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ec2dc5487c561c4b56a152817a6c14?s=96&r=g","caption":"Maizura"},"url":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/author\/maizura\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36212"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36391,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36212\/revisions\/36391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}