{"id":41177,"date":"2025-07-15T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=41177"},"modified":"2025-07-17T15:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:13:13","slug":"designing-with-purpose-james-ni-on-finding-beauty-in-every-detail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/designing-with-purpose-james-ni-on-finding-beauty-in-every-detail\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing with Purpose: James Ni on Finding Beauty in Every Detail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since early childhood, James Ni has been passionate about transforming ideas into tangible creations. Though he began in fine arts, changing circumstances steered him towards architecture, and later, interior design. For him, these fields are simply different ways to explore and express the pursuit of beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Congratulations on winning the MUSE Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chuan<\/strong>: My name is Chuan Liu, and I\u2019m a design professional in the architecture and development industry. My work centres on housing practices in the LA area and the transformation of development ideas before a project takes place. I am keen to explore design opportunities and deliver socially responsible outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sijie<\/strong>: I’m Sijie Ji, and I\u2019m an architectural designer based in Los Angeles, where urban challenges and climate realities intersect. My work focuses on leveraging architectural thinking and urban design to address pressing issues such as displacement caused by rising sea levels, housing inequity, and the socioeconomic strains of rapid urbanisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chuan Liu and Sijie Ji<\/strong>: We specialise in creating spaces that are not only functional and sustainable but also deeply rooted in community resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether reimagining adaptive housing solutions for climate-vulnerable populations or advocating for inclusive urban policies, we aim to bridge the gap between environmental stewardship and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Q2. What does being recognized in the MUSE Design Awards mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition means a great deal. As design professionals, we constantly reflect on the relationship between innovation and functionality in architecture. This award program offer us an opportunity to translate our innovative design ideas into socially impactful projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recognition affirms the value of our approach and motivates us to pursue design excellence that actively enhances the built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Q3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The achievement will be a source of motivation for both our careers. We will continue to delve deeper into transforming design ideas into socially responsible solutions and addressing crises within our built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope our design philosophy will inspire more design professionals\u2014as well as urban planners and agencies\u2014to rethink the current housing crisis and explore potential development opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Q4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experimentation is crucial to our design process. For instance, in our approach to low-cost housing design for the submission, we reimagine the existing built environment by utilising under-bridge spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experimentation challenges current development standards and building codes. While it presents design challenges, we also propose prototypical solutions to legitimise experimental ideas in a socially responsible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Q5. What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve ever drawn from for a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For us, inspiration comes from bold design ideas that question the very definition of architecture. A remarkable project often stems from an unconventional concept that strategically engages with site, space, and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aim to embed strategic thinking into the design process from the outset to ensure the project stands out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Winning Entry <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Bridge Space 2.0<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Explore the journey of CL Studio<\/a>, the Silver Winners at the 2025 Rome Design Awards. They are the minds behind CL Studio, blending architecture and development expertise to craft sustainable, community-focused spaces that tackle urban and climate challenges.
<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since early childhood, James Ni has been passionate about transforming ideas into tangible creations. 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