We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miaojie Zhang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with MIAOJIE below.

MIAOJIE, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of designing several meaningful projects, but two stand out: the Four-Roof Pavilion in Shenzhen and the Blue Court on China’s southeastern coast. Both projects were widely published recently, and interestingly, both were designed remotely. Despite the challenges of distance, the design process was incredibly smooth and efficient.
The Four-Roof Pavilion is located in Shenzhen Pingshan Children’s Park and draws inspiration from the park’s “Forest School” theme. We envisioned it not just as a building in the park, but as a building of the park, blending seamlessly with its environment. This 1,200 m² structure serves as a secondary gateway and includes a pedestrian passageway, multi-purpose rooms, a café, a bookstore, and a roof garden. Visitors are guided through a single-story entrance into a double-height space illuminated by an oculus skylight, creating a dynamic and inviting transition into the park.
The design features a concrete structural grid with dramatic roofs providing shade, polycarbonate panels filtering light, and sculptural red staircases that enhance its visual identity. Inspired by Chinese landscape painting, the muted color palette connects the architecture to its cultural roots. The pavilion has become a vibrant community hub, merging people, nature, and architecture seamlessly.
The Blue Court, on the other hand, is a basketball court designed as both a sports venue and a gathering space for a seaside village. The court features a striking blue concrete floor, an exposed steel structure, and tension cable canopies that provide shaded areas for spectators. Concrete benches along the columns offer spots for villagers to relax, socialize, and take in the ocean views. The lightweight design balances structural stability with a breezy aesthetic, perfectly suited to its coastal setting.
More than a sports facility, the Blue Court serves as a communal plaza where children, elders, and villagers connect. It addresses a growing challenge in rural communities, where younger generations often leave for larger cities, by creating a space that brings people together and strengthens community bonds.
What makes these projects particularly meaningful to me is that, as a Chinese architect living and working in the U.S., I was able to contribute to the design and urbanization of communities in my home country. These projects remind me that architecture has no boundaries. At a time when the world faces sociopolitical polarization, these designs demonstrate the power of international collaboration and the possibility of creating something meaningful together, even across great distances.

MIAOJIE, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My career started with a background in structural engineering, where I learned how to design the “skeleton” of buildings. Over time, I became more interested in how the outer design—the “flesh and skin” of a building—could improve people’s experiences. This led me to study architecture, where I gained skills in designing public and cultural spaces.
In my work, I focus on combining structure, function, and design to create spaces that are useful, efficient, and visually appealing. I make it a priority to include cultural elements and respond to the local context, ensuring the spaces meet the needs of the people who use them. From a practical perspective, my structural background benefits myself to find a cost-effective system but also echo with the architectural approach.
One project to be mentioned is the Four-Roof Pavilion. This project shows how I approach design by connecting buildings with their natural surroundings. The large canopies provide shade and create spaces for the community to gather, but it also created the aesthetic identity of the building. Seeing the project recognized and published made me realize how well architecture and structure can work together to benefit users.
For future collaborators, I want to emphasize my focus on creating designs that solve practical needs while improving the way people interact with their surroundings. I believe architecture can connect people, and I’m committed to designing spaces that do just that. Besides the architecture, my another hoppy is watching films. One of my dream is be able to design a movie theater. I look forward to the opportunity in the future.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think many people assume that designers or architects work like artists, with ideas suddenly flashing into their minds. In reality, the design process is a logical, structured path that involves careful planning and problem-solving. It’s not just about creativity; it’s about balancing multiple factors at once.
When starting a project, there’s extensive research involved. You need to form a team with consultants from various disciplines, understand the budget and timeline, and navigate building codes and approvals from different government agencies. The biggest challenge is finding a strong, cohesive design concept that can integrate multiple systems—structure, MEP, civil, landscape, interiors, and more—into one unified solution.
Even as the design evolves, it’s a step-by-step process. You start with big-picture considerations, like site context and traffic flow, and gradually refine the details, such as how drywall transitions to tile or which type of gypsum board works best in a bathroom. Along the way, you face many constraints, including budget, time, and regulations. You also have to collaborate and negotiate with clients, consultants, contractors, and inspectors, which often involves compromises.
The entire journey, from concept to completion, is about balancing creativity with practicality. It’s not just about having great ideas but also ensuring they work within real-world constraints to create something meaningful and functional.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing your designs come to life as a physical building. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching your drawings transform into a tangible structure, knowing you’ve contributed something real to the world. It’s often more exciting to witness the actual result—complete with compromises, imperfections, and even mistakes—than to see a polished 3D model or digital rendering.
Along the design and construction journey, there are many rewarding moments, such as overseeing progress, refining the design, or reviewing mock-ups. One of the most fulfilling aspects is how creative problem-solving can benefit not just the design, but also the function and cost of a project. In most cases, there’s no such thing as a perfect solution, as trade-offs are inevitable. However, sometimes, the real value of design shines through when challenges are turned into unexpected features.
Take Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House as an example. The house was built on a flood-prone site, and to address this, Mies elevated the structure on pilotis, not only solving the flooding issue but also creating a building that seemed to float with expansive glass walls and minimal solid elements. This solution became a defining characteristic of the house and an iconic statement about transparency and the blending of interior and exterior spaces. Although the house did eventually experience flooding and legal disputes arose, the Farnsworth House remains one of the most iconic designs of the 20th century. It shows how challenges and limitations can lead to design opportunities, and how creative problem-solving can give a project lasting significance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.found-projects.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted_zhang21

Image Credits

Image 1-4: Schran Images; Image 5-7: Atelier Noirs