Denver Affordable Housing Challenge competition participants - Ruxuan Zheng and Aixuan Li

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the participants in our Denver Affordable Housing Challenge competition—Ruxuan Zheng and Aixuan Li from the United States.

Ruxuan Zheng and Aixuan Li 

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are two New York–based designers currently working in architectural practice. Our collaboration combines complementary strengths: Aixuan Li brings a dual background in interior and architectural design from New York, while Ruxuan Zheng integrates architectural and urban design expertise with a focus on community-oriented and adaptive housing. Together, we explore design strategies that connect living, urban context, and social resilience.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

We have been involved in projects ranging from small-scale residential and interior renovations to large urban and mixed-use developments. Our recent independent works focus on affordable and collective housing, exploring modular systems and adaptive typologies that respond to social and climatic contexts. Professionally, we have participated in multi-family, office, and community projects from schematic design to construction documentation. Across both academic and professional settings, we aim to integrate research, design, and practical execution — connecting architectural form with urban and human experience.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture, to us, is a framework for shaping collective life — it goes beyond form-making to mediate between people, culture, and environment. It is both a spatial language and a social instrument that translates shared needs into built experience. In our view, architects are not just creators of objects but curators of relationships — between public and private, nature and city, individual and community. In a rapidly changing society, our role is to design with empathy and adaptability, building environments that foster connection, equity, and resilience rather than mere aesthetic impact.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We see architecture competitions as opportunities to test ideas beyond the limits of daily practice. They allow us to explore social and environmental questions freely, to speculate on new housing models, and to engage in a global dialogue about design and responsibility. Competitions are not only a platform for recognition but also a way to refine our collective voice — turning research and imagination into proposals that can inspire real change in the built environment.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions are less about winning and more about building clarity in your own thinking. Each entry is a chance to test ideas, sharpen design language, and learn to communicate vision under real constraints. For anyone unsure, start small — use competitions as an independent studio where you set your own agenda. The process itself becomes the reward: it trains you to think critically, collaborate effectively, and discover what kind of architect you want to be.