On the Rise: Han Chen

Jacinda Rogers (JR): When did your ardour for design begin?

Han Chen (HC): As a child, I cherished watching cartoons after faculty. The opposite children’ dad and mom purchased them motion figures or the newest Gameboy to play with based mostly on the TV exhibits, however we couldn’t afford them, so I might usually sketch and draw these characters as an alternative. This finally developed right into a pastime and that’s the place my ardour for artwork and design began.

At some stage throughout my teenage years, my Mum really helpful I pursue a profession in structure (most likely so I wouldn’t find yourself as a struggling artist). That’s after I began transitioning from drawing cartoons to drawing homes. In highschool, I did product design, graphic design and portray — all types of various stuff associated to artwork. After which, finally, I selected structure due to the intricacy in designing realised/constructed areas that no different medium can replicate.

(JR): After you graduated from the College of Auckland in 2015 with a Grasp of Structure, did you could have an thought of what you finally wished to obtain?

(HC): I did. I used to be all the time extra captivated with residential structure due to how intimate the design course of is, in relation to every consumer’s particular wants and the calls for of every totally different website.

Coincidentally, my dad and mom began creating property across the identical time I used to be graduating so I used to be studying a bit about property improvement by them. And as quickly as I left college, I knew I used to be going to discover a function at a smaller residential design studio relatively than a extra company apply in order that I may very well be extra fingers on with the whole design course of.

JR: Inform me about what occurred subsequent. The place did you get your first skilled work expertise?

HC: My first job was with Brendan Rawson at Archoffice — a actually superb mentor who taught me every part there was to find out about residential design, form-making, proportion, and many others.

From there, I moved on to X Studio, the place I used to be given a possibility to be a co-director. That gave me expertise in not solely designing however managing an organization: hiring a group, constructing portfolio and group of individuals round me to ship tasks collectively. In order that’s the place I gained my expertise in working a enterprise. After a number of years, I made a decision it was time to begin my very own journey and moved on to begin Form [Architects].

JR: Have you ever seen any modifications within the housing improvement market since we spoke final yr?

HC: There was a small shift that I’ve seen. It’s that builders are inclined to need to do higher high quality tasks as a result of they’ll see the worth that nice architectural design delivers.

These builders are saying: “As an alternative of doing large-volume, low-priced developments, perhaps we check out standalone, comfy housing that’s superbly designed and architecturally articulated.” They’re seeing that once they make investments time into creating a greater product, that product goes onto the market with a lot much less competitors. And a product that’s extra distinctive, that everybody’s comfortable to work on, design and construct, will finally translate to patrons who’re very happy to accumulate these properties.

It’s an enormous plus for us as a result of we get extra inventive freedom when designing higher-end housing.

JR: You don’t have a tendency to listen to a whole lot of appreciation for structure amongst builders.

HC: No, however go over to Australia and it’s large. There’s an organization known as Graya in Brisbane, that develops multi-million greenback mansions upwards of $10 million. One undertaking of theirs is known as Scorpia — architecturally, it’s monolithic, distinguished and really boutique.

The builders completed that undertaking and on the primary open house, there was a information article speaking a couple of line down the road of individuals wanting to purchase that home. In the end, I believe it offered inside a month someplace over $10 million. That undertaking is a good testomony to good design and the way everybody can profit in that state of affairs.

New Zealand is just not there but by way of the financial system facilitating residential improvement to that magnitude, but when we are able to take child steps in that course, I believe it’ll be useful for not solely us as architects, but additionally for builders and Auckland normally, to realize a greater end result for the city cloth of our cities.

JR: As a Design LBP and now as a registered architect, you could have a portfolio of 300+ accomplished tasks. Are there any tasks that you simply’ve performed not too long ago that stand out as favourites?

HC: Not too long ago talking, I believe that Riverhead Farmhouse got here out fairly elegantly. At Form we do a variety of tasks — some are tremendous modern, monolithic and minimal of their design. However, on the identical time, we’ve tasks like Riverhead Farmhouse that get again to conventional roots with the farmhouse and barn vernacular, that emulate a heat, bach-like aesthetic that sits so effectively in its countryside setting.

I wouldn’t say that one undertaking stands out amongst all the remaining. We don’t have a signature aesthetic proper now and we’d prefer to discover totally different types. We like to research what makes totally different aesthetics lovely, what makes them engaging, what proportions they require, what proportions they demand and the way that interprets to the best way that our shoppers select to reside.

It’s good to the touch base on a variety of architectural languages and we’re fortunate to get that likelihood, as we’ve a wide variety of various shoppers coming in with briefs for life-style farmhouses, modern townhouses, all the best way to trendy glass spaceships.

JR: You’ve performed a big improvement not too long ago known as Flat Bush Faculty Street. How  has your expertise been with masterplanning?

HC: Flat Bush Faculty Street was 40 tons. At the moment we thought it was fairly large. While you transfer up and begin doing grasp planning, there’s so many elements it is advisable to handle simply from the sheer scale of a complete masterplan. You get into very detailed civil, roading, infrastructure and concrete design issues. There’s additionally an enormous checklist of consultants that it is advisable to work with. Council’s city design group; generally it’s iwi, and generally it’s AT (Auckland Transport).

Now, we’re doing the following large factor, and have a 100 lot subdivision arising which we’re making ready for. Masterplan design is in a very totally different animal from designing a standalone home, however it’s attention-grabbing and I really like studying about improvement from a number of totally different views.

JR: Along with a really busy work schedule, you’re a common visitor speaker on the College of Auckland’s Faculty of Structure. What conjures up you to coach college students? 

HC: I naturally gravitate in direction of instructing. I don’t know if it was as a result of my dad was a math instructor when he was my age. There’s one thing inspiring about seeing the following era of architects develop into their careers. It sounds sort of corny however it’s true. Seeing the course that college students need to take and what conjures up them. 

You additionally be taught quite a bit from them by way of the best way that they design and the brand new programmes that they choose up. College students will all the time choose up on the latest and newest software program for producing flooring plans, 3D modelling, or renderings. And, by them, we choose up on these programmes and ask: “Can we maybe undertake these and use them in our studio?”

Lastly, it offers us footing to create a relationship with gifted college students who find yourself graduating. I’ve encountered college students who stated, “I noticed your lecture” and once we had a place obtainable, they put their identify ahead and now they’re a part of our group.

JR: You need to should work fairly exhausting to maintain work/life steadiness. What retains you effectively and feeling able to tackle a busy work week?

HC: I attempt to have my ‘zen’ second after I can in my bathtub each night to unwind, as I work till late — most likely 8 or 9pm daily — and with out it I might have gone mad already. I believe on the core is discovering methods to unwind and keep lively. I play golf three to 4 occasions per week if I’ve time, simply to get some bodily exercise and steadiness. I’m considerably of an addict now and I’ve dragged many purchasers and consultants alongside to the inexperienced with me.

I additionally attempt to not take work outdoors of my work hours. In my downtime, I hearken to a whole lot of podcasts, as long as they’re in a roundabout way about structure. I prefer to study how different issues on this world function, like Tesla and its rollout of electrical vehicles, or Apple’s foray into the VR (digital actuality) area.

Studying about fields which are parallel with my very own is of explicit curiosity, like if Apple is investing in VR tech, how lengthy till we’ve a sturdy, state-of-the-art VR system to undertake into our design methodology?

I attempt to draw similarities from, and apply my studying to, on a regular basis enterprise and say: “What if one thing dynamic like that eventuated at some point, how would we adapt, how would that change our business shifting ahead?”

JR: Lastly, what was the inspiration behind your Resene temper board?

HC: With this temper board I attempted to construct up textures and hues in reference to pure supplies of their uncooked state. I discover that the structure and design can resonate extra cohesively with the tones of the inside utilizing this method.

I’m not too long ago favouring monolithic minimalism, so lime-rendered surfaces, with beige and limestone tints in Resene Half Tea and Resene Hindsight in addition to earthier tones comparable to Resene Arrowtown assist floor the inside in its setting.

I additionally benefit from the interaction between these pure tones and the contrasting freshness and modernity of Resene Home White and Resene Black and Resene Squall.

See extra from the On the Rise sequence right here.

To learn a 2022 interview with Han Chen concerning mid-density developments, click on right here.

Form Architects is an award-winning, design-led and client-focused studio, specialising in residential structure. Be taught extra at shapearchitects.co.nz and observe form.architects for updates.