Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jiageng Guo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jiageng, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

1. Projects that create social infrastructure.
2. Projects that provide meaningful critiques of the predominant values of society.
3. Projects that are simply beautiful

These three aspects motivate my everyday work and life. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects such as SPARC Kips Bay at Dattner Architects (which I’m currently working on), Mechanical Time and Body Time at the University of Minnesota, The Orphan Heat at Columbia University GSAPP with Dean Andres Jaque, and a counterculture paper I wrote with Professor Mary McLeod. These experiences have shaped my thinking and made me who I am.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Chinese-born architectural designer from Xinjiang, now based in NYC. My work is driven by interwoven programs, urban landscapes, and the material cultures that shape them. Through multimedia research and a collaborative design process, I explore how architecture can foster deeper connections between people and the city.

Growing up in a culturally diverse environment fueled my interest in how architecture can create collective agency and facilitate cultural exchange. I’ve always been fascinated by how spaces shape and reflect human experiences, leading me to design environments that enrich urban life through thoughtful programming and spatial relationships.

Currently, I’m contributing to SPARC Kips Bay at Dattner Architects—a mission-driven firm that sees architecture as social infrastructure, enhancing the urban fabric. Before this, I worked at Büro Ole Scheeren, where I engaged with large-scale, forward-thinking projects, and at Junya Ishigami + Associates, where I explored unconventional spatial constructs and architecture as an expanded landscape. These experiences continue to inform my holistic and critical approach to design.

What sets me apart as a designer is my ability to seamlessly shift between scales—from the grand vision of a project to its finest details. I am adept at integrating complex ideas into a cohesive whole and passionate about architecture as a total work of art, where every element contributes to a larger narrative. Culturally, I take a critical stance towards connotations and creative agencies, constantly questioning the underlying values embedded in design. I also have a strong sense of politics—recognizing its presence (and knowing when to go around it). This awareness allows me to engage with projects thoughtfully, balancing bold ideas with strategic execution.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a designer is uncovering hidden narratives within the built environment and responding to them in a meaningful way. Whether it’s through urban research, oral histories, or reinterpreting mundane details, I love the moment when something seemingly ordinary reveals a deeper story.

So much of our world is already built—rather than imposing new forms in a vacuum, I find it exciting to engage with the layers of history, infrastructure, and culture that shape cities like NYC, Tokyo, or Shanghai. The challenge isn’t just to design in a vacuum, but to reframe, reveal, and transform what’s already there in ways that connect with people’s experiences and the life of the city.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Several books and artists have deeply influenced my thinking. One of them is Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing. The concept that “everything is contaminated and purity is not an option” radically reshaped my perspective on ‘excess’ and the unseen parts of life. It encouraged me to focus on the ‘back of house’ — the areas and elements that are typically hidden in everyday life but are often carefully engineered. This insight revealed countless possibilities for design and education by focusing on these often-overlooked parts of the world.

Another major influence is Mierle Laderman Ukeles, a pioneering artist who became the first artist-in-residence at the NYC Department of Sanitation. Her interventions, such as transforming a sanitation truck into a mirror-covered object, challenged and redefined the urban landscape. Her work encourages us to reconsider the unnoticed or avoided aspects of daily life and transforms them into something engaging, elevating the essential services we often take for granted.

Additionally, I’m inspired by the work of the architectural firm Amid Cero9, particularly their design of the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation. They blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating multi-sensory environments that foster interaction with the surrounding urban fabric. Their approach challenges traditional institutional building designs, which can be disconnected from their surroundings, and instead promotes openness and community engagement. This idea of integrating spaces that foster collaboration and dialogue with the city resonates with my approach to architecture.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jguo.net
• Instagram: __leatherjacket
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jiagengguo

Image Credits

All of them are my personal works.