Museum of Emotions / Edition #7 competition 2nd Prize winner - Kaiwen Wei

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 2nd Prize winners of our Museum of Emotions / Edition #7 competition – Kaiwen Wei from United States!

Kaiwen Wei

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.

I’m an architectural and interior designer based in New York. My work focuses on creating spaces that help people engage with the world in a more expansive, perceptive, and emotionally resonant way.

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?

I’ve worked primarily on commercial projects, with a focus on hospitality and retail environments.

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

Architecture reshapes the relationship between people and space—and it does so through a major investment of collective resources. I believe architects and designers have a responsibility to fully explore a project’s potential beyond its basic program: not only to meet functional needs, but to positively influence users, communities, and the broader world in unexpected ways. At its best, architecture becomes a bridge that connects users to a more expansive experience of reality.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

I joined design competitions to test new conceptual ideas and push my design thinking further—while also sharing that work with a broader design community. To me, it’s like a global conversation among designers.

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

Architecture competition is helpful to one’s growth as a designer. I think it’s beneficial to dive deeply into the competition brief and return to it again and again. That repetition pushes you to reframe the problem from different angles and move beyond your first, obvious solution—leading to ideas you wouldn’t find otherwise. It helps you grow as a designer, and it can also produce work that brings real value to the world beyond the competition.