Hospice - Home for the Terminally ill #3 competition Sustainability Award winners - Muzhi Wang and Lucius Hu

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Sustainability Award winners of our "Hospice - Home for the Terminally ill #3" competition – Muzhi Wang and Lucius Hu from United States!

Muzhi Wang and Lucius Hu

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 both third year Master of Architecture students at Pratt Institute. Muzhi Wang studied Mechanical Engineering for undergraduate years and has a couple of years of professional experience as a MEP engineer. Pursuing a more holistic understanding of buildings, he embarked on the journey to pursue a Master of Architecture. Lucius Hu studied Environmental Design during her undergraduate years, with a minor in Psychology, and gained one year of experience working as a game designer. Driven by her passion for architecture and urban design, she decided to further her studies in architecture to merge her interests.

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 are still students, so we were mainly involved with projects at our school. Currently, we are trying to explore modular data center design with an optimized cooling system that utilizes air & liquid cooling methods.

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

"It's affinity, communication and an empathy for the human condition that binds us all, and keeps a soul in wonder," is a quote from psychology researcher Tej Kapoor. We believe that architecture is the crystallization of such affinity, communication and empathy. We believe the role of an architect in our society is to balance the equilibrium between Humanity and Science, artistic vision and objective facts thus they deliver designs that provide inspiring spatial configuration while being sensitive to the human condition.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Because we want to learn more skills and have the opportunity to develop an interesting project in addition to those in our school’s curriculum.

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

Stop hesitating and just do it! The process itself is an invaluable learning experience.