{"id":42144,"date":"2025-10-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=42144"},"modified":"2025-08-18T07:21:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T07:21:29","slug":"interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"The Intersection of People &#038; Place: Insights from Zehua Zhang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Zehua Zhang, a licensed architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York. Draws inspiration from his early fascination with the connection between people and their surroundings. He uses architecture as a means to address real-world challenges through sustainable, human-focused solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Zehua Zhang Q1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I graduated from the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. And am now a full-time architect based in New York. I am a licensed architect in the state of New York and a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C). I&#8217;m currently serve as an Associate Principal at KPF. I&#8217;ve always been fascinated by the way design can shape how people live, feel, and interact with the world around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing up, I was constantly observing my environment\u2014how light entered a space. How people moved through it, and how materials aged over time. What started as curiosity gradually became a passion for creating thoughtful, intentional spaces that respond to both function and emotion. Pursuing design as a career felt like a natural path\u2014a way to combine creativity, problem-solving. And a deep desire to improve the human experience through the built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being recognised in the French Design Awards is a great honour and a meaningful affirmation of my work. It not only acknowledges the design effort. And vision behind the project but also reflects a shared commitment to innovation, quality, and impact in the built environment. It\u2019s incredibly motivating to see our work resonate on an international level. And it inspires me to continue pushing boundaries and creating thoughtful, human-centred spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Q2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning this award has been a meaningful moment in my professional journey. It not only brought recognition but also gave me a chance to reflect on my design approach and continue evolving as a designer. The experience pushed me to think more critically, communicate ideas more clearly, and stay open to feedback and iteration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also reinforced the importance of staying curious and committed to learning\u2014both from the work itself and from the people I collaborate with. This achievement has inspired me to take on new challenges with greater confidence and a deeper sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experimentation plays a central role in my creative process. It allows me to explore ideas beyond conventional boundaries and discover unexpected solutions. I see each project as an opportunity to test new materials, spatial strategies, or digital tools\u2014not just for the sake of novelty, but to push the design toward more meaningful outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in a recent competition, we experimented with parametric design techniques to generate a fa\u00e7ade that responded dynamically to light and views. The process involved multiple iterations, physical models, and performance simulations. While not all ideas made it to the final design, the exploration deeply enriched the project and revealed new ways of thinking that I\u2019ve carried into other work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(read more <a href=\"https:\/\/frenchdesignawards.com\/winner-info.php?id=559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/interview-with-betty-fan-bailichen-interior-design-co-ltd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zehua Zhang, a licensed architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York. Draws inspiration from his early fascination with the connection between people and their<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":41765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[372,553],"tags":[360,528,382],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Interview with Zehua Zhang | French Design Awards Winner<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Zehua Zhang, a licensed architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York, draws inspiration from his early fascination with the...\" \/>\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\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Interview with Zehua Zhang | French Design Awards Winner\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zehua Zhang, a licensed architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York, draws inspiration from his early fascination with the...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/\" \/>\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=\"2025-10-21T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-18T07:21:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/muse.international\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Zehua-Zhang.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sylvester\" \/>\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=\"Sylvester\" \/>\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\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/\",\"name\":\"Interview with Zehua Zhang | French Design Awards Winner\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-21T09:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-18T07:21:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/d499ec6e7bd9ebf267768e3387d5eeeb\"},\"description\":\"Zehua Zhang, a licensed architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York, draws inspiration from his early fascination with the...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-zehua-zhang-french-design-awards-winner\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Intersection of People &#038; 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