Wei Tang and Yejia Zhu, two female architect representatives from Benoy, were invited to participate in the Women in Architecture Digital Nexus 2022 Annual Expo, “She Is an Architect”, jointly held by the RIBA China Chapter, Meta Media, and ZiWU. The expo began on 29 July 2022 at Modern Studio, located at ZiWU Building No.7, No.10 Jianguo Middle Road, Shanghai. The expo is open to the public at no charge and ends on 24 August.
On 28 July, Yejia, Project Director from Benoy Shanghai Studio, took part in the opening ceremony of “She Is an Architect” and mingled with colleagues from the industry.
The expo has been funded by the RIBA Local Initiative Fund. Following a two-month global call for works, the Fund received over 100 outstanding works from female architects, scholars, and students. Exhibitors are mainly from China and the UK, as well as from Europe, the Persian Gulf region, and Southeast Asia. Works include professional design projects, academic research, and student design projects. Furthermore, works broadly cover domains such as urban planning, TOD design, urban complexes, cultural architecture, educational architecture, community placemaking, urban renewal, historical architecture preservation and renovation, digital construction and parametric design, network science, and urban design, as well as exciting explorations into crossover design. The expo has also gathered industry leaders and prominent architects to speak about issues of diversity and equality in the architecture industry.
The UK’s Department for International Trade and the British Council have shown massive support for this expo and have put a lot of effort into displaying the design power of female architects and giving them a stronger voice. The UK Consul-General in Shanghai, Chris Wood, gave the keynote speech and officially opened the expo.
Wei Tang
Project Director at Benoy Shanghai Studio
Wei Tang joined Benoy in 2008. She has 15 years of experience and holds certifications as a PRC Class 1 Registered Architect and Registered Urban Planner, with a wealth of experience in project operations. Working as a project manager on many projects has given her an in-depth understanding of the entire project cycle, from initial concept planning and designs to detailed drawings and site supervision. Her many years of experience have enabled her to grasp the design regulations and standards in Shanghai and the surrounding areas. Notable projects include Joy City, Hangzhou, a modern shopping mall and waterfront destination; MOMO Park, Xi’an, a 320,000 m² scheme with grade‑A offices, retail, and high-end apartments; and Mangoohub, located at West Bund, Xuhui District, Shanghai, an intellectual and entertainment cultural complex that integrates offices, lifestyle, cultural performance, and entertainment media.
Yejia Zhu
Project Director at Benoy Shanghai Studio
Yejia Zhu is a RIBA-registered architect and urban designer with 16 years of experience. Yejia has a keen interest in, and her unique vision for, various areas of commercial design (urban complexes, commercial streets, community business, etc.), master planning, and the ecological impact of architecture and design for the public space, advocating that commercial design showing timely response to usage requirements for spaces at different stages of urban development. While working in the UK and countries across Europe, she was involved in many prestigious projects and developed rich experience working at various stages from initial design to completion of construction. Furthermore, she has achieved excellent results in international competitions and is involved in designing urban complexes and commercial offices in China and abroad. Recent representative projects include Lize Financial Center, Beijing, a landmark complex located within the South Third Ring Road; Cangjie, Suzhou, a commercial street project covering an area of 30,000 m²; and a large-scale commercial renovation project, Zhongye MCC World (Heji Yanghang), located in Nanjing.
