From 29th November to 1st December, Mr. Hu Zhile, Founder/Design Director of WJ Studio, was invited to participate in WAF World Architecture Festival/INSIDE World Festival of Interiors in Singapore, and gave a live presentation and defense of the shortlisted project, "Boatyard Hotel".
In the competition, the project Boatyard Hotel finally won the Highly Commended award in the Interior Design - Hotel category.
On 23rd November 2023, Mr. Hu Zhile, Founder/Design Director of WJ STUDIO, was invited to attend the "27th ANDREW MARTIN INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS AWARDS CEREMONY" in Shanghai, and at the same time, he was invited to be the Andrew Martin China Design Envoy.
On the next day, Mr Hu Zhile was invited to give a speech on the topic of "The Width of Design" in the "2023 ANDREW MARTIN INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN SUMMIT - Realm". In the speech, Mr. Hu shared his thoughts on design, and believed that the width of design is no longer a single, independent entity, but the embodiment of multiple thoughts and concepts, which is not only concerned with the creation of physical form, but also the expression and deeper thinking and dialogue through design.
In November, Dezeen announced the shortlist of the first Dezeen Awards China 2023, and WJ STUDIO's project "Sunac. Mogan Valley. Zhulinli Group Demonstration Area" was honored to be shortlisted in the Hotel and short-stay Interior category.
The Dezeen Awards China 2023 is the first regional award launched by Dezeen Awards, which aims to recognize the best architecture, interior design and design works, as well as the most outstanding studios and individuals from China.
On 24th August 2023 at Wu Shanming Museum of Art, Mr. Hu Zhile, Founder & Design Director of WJ STUDIO, was invited to participate in the kick-off meeting of Old Mansion New Life 2023 Hangzhou, and gave a speech on the topic of "Talking about Alteration Design".
In the speech, Mr Hu took the "design possibility" and "from design to control design" as the clue of alteration, and explored the significance of alteration design by combining with the projects of Wanjing Design in the field of urban renewal and old building renovation in recent years. According to Hu Zhile, the old buildings are not only limited to the scope of interior design and renewal, but also an important part of the city's memory and intention. Similarly, design cannot cover all the space and ecology, what is more important is how to identify the possibilities of the site through design, so that the site can be awakened again.
On July 13, 2023, in conjunction with the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors revealed its shortlist for the year 2023. A total of 73 projects from around the world were selected for this edition of INSIDE.
Among them, WJ STUDIO's "Boatyard Hotel" was shortlisted in the Hotel category for the 2023 INSIDE event. They have been invited to participate in the INSIDE Singapore annual celebration and on-site presentation from November 29th to December 1st. They will be competing with design teams from around the globe for the ultimate prize.
On 15th June 2023, Mr. Hu Zhile, Founder & Design Director of WJ STUDIO, was invited to participate in the first "Andrew Martin Chat in Town" event in China as a keynote speaker, and gave a special design sharing session on the topic of "Two or Three Things about Design".
In the nearly three hours' communication, Hu Zhile took "what is design" and "what is design" as the introduction, and combined with the company's recent projects, such as Mawei Shuanzheng Bookstore, Yunlangu Business Centre, and Equator Peak Coffee, etc., he shared his views on the process from concept to implementation. He shared the practice and thinking from concept to implementation; at the same time, Hu also shared the results of international competitions and academic research based on the PRO-LAB team, and deeply analysed the importance of multi-dimensional composite and top-level thinking.