goa is one of China's leading architectural design firms. Over 25 years of practice, goa has consistently represented the benchmark of quality in the Chinese architectural industry, serving as a pioneer and creator of human environments and lifestyles in Asia. With an elite multidisciplinary team and an integrated, interdisciplinary approach, the firm holds a leading position in high-end residential, resort hotels, corporate headquarters, urban renewal, and cultural tourism and rural reconstruction. As of the end of 2022, more than 200 of goa's projects have won over 400 architectural design awards from authoritative domestic and international industry organizations and media, including the World Architecture Festival (WAF), MIPIM, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF) Awards, the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, The Architectural Review (AR), Architizer A+, the China Exploration and Design Association, and the Architectural Society of Shanghai. Driven by its mission to "shape vibrant human habitats," goa continues to create unique spatial experiences for future cities and communities through high-quality design services.

A rigorous, objective, diverse, and open corporate culture forms the brand DNA of goa. The firm offers professionals an attractive working environment and rewarding career development, supporting the autonomous growth of outstanding talents while fostering an innovative atmosphere of interdisciplinary collaboration. With its unique vitality, goa is committed to providing every employee with a stage to realize their professional aspirations.

Open Positions

Founded in 2002 by a group of architects with diverse academic backgrounds from both China and abroad, Verse Design has been deeply engaged in exploring various scales of design for over twenty years, including urban design, architectural design, community making, and residential product systems. Through years of practice, the firm has developed a systematic and continuous design logic and methodology. From programming and planning to urban design, and from schematic design to detail control, a "craftsman's spirit" permeates every phase of our work. We are dedicated to the process of identifying problems, refining solutions, and executing them, maintaining an exceptionally high standard for project implementation and completion. Our primary project types include cultural tourism resort towns, resort hotels, as well as cultural and community lifestyle amenities.

Verse Design maintains a boutique team size and a flat management structure, offering architects a highly autonomous working atmosphere. Here, you will engage in multi-dimensional, full-lifecycle projects ranging from early-stage programming and urban design to architectural design and detailing. We look forward to welcoming like-minded, exceptional architects to join us and grow together with Verse Design.

The firm's office is located in a historic garden villa at the intersection of Zhaojiabang Road and Wulumuqi Road in Shanghai. It is conveniently situated just 50 meters on foot from Zhaojiabang Road Station (Metro Lines 7 and 9), offering an easily accessible and comfortable working environment.

As 2023 begins, looking back at 2022 reveals a year of profound shifts, challenges, and boundary-pushing opportunities for architectural practices worldwide. Navigating these new unknowns, we have compiled our interviews from the past year with a diverse range of firms and practitioners. This retrospective explores how legacy firms with over two decades of practice continue to thrive, how the profession is adapting to technological frontiers like the metaverse and artificial intelligence, the challenges material experts are tackling, and how a new generation of architects is shaping the future of the discipline. Read on for our annual roundup of conversations.

DDB Architects (Shanghai) was founded in 1998 by Professor Xiang Bingren. Since its inception, influenced by a strong academic background, the firm has adhered to the core philosophy of "culture-led design, creative value enhancement." This approach manifests as a multifaceted contemplation of culture across diverse design typologies, driving continuous creative momentum. Positioning itself as a highly specialized, professional, and lean, top-tier architectural design team, the firm is committed to pursuing both academic and artistic excellence in architecture. Over more than 20 years of deep industry engagement, the firm has maintained an urban perspective. It has accumulated extensive project experience, professional expertise, and a robust client base across seven key sectors: supertall complexes, offices and corporate headquarters, urban renewal, commercial spaces, cultural landmarks, bespoke hospitality spaces, and customized residential spaces. Through high-caliber design creativity, professional quality, and attentive, personalized service, DDB has established an outstanding market reputation.

The firm features a mature innovation and research system, a lean design methodology, and an integrated design workflow.
Innovation and Research System: Centered on talent development and brand building, the firm has conducted a series of distinctive explorations and practices across platforms such as R&D, team knowledge management, and media communication. By integrating R&D platforms with design practice, design and management are closely linked to drive iterative upgrades.

Lean Design System: Utilizing its proprietary, meticulous curtain wall control methodology, the firm manages façade design with scientific rigor, allowing for highly targeted cost optimization.

Integrated Design: With an integrated design matrix, the firm possesses design capabilities across architecture, landscape, and interior design, alongside the perspective and capacity to address related technical challenges. Additionally, by collaborating with a network of leading domestic technical partners and consultants, DDB has formed a multidisciplinary design matrix to deliver highly professional solutions tailored to clients' specific needs.

With the rise of social media, we have entered an era of a multimedia "society of the spectacle," where the influence of images on the public grows year by year. Visually-driven media platforms are increasingly dominating the market, serving as an alternative form of travel that allows people to experience breathtaking scenes from around the world without leaving home. Dedicated to bringing design inspiration to the public, ArchDaily established its presence on Instagram years ago. In 2022, we expanded onto China’s Xiaohongshu (RED), hoping to share exceptional projects with a broader audience. As expected, the influence of star architects remains strong, while playfulness, aesthetics, and relevance emerge as key terms guiding reader interest. Here, we present the top 20 most-liked architectural projects of 2022 on ArchDaily’s official Xiaohongshu and Instagram accounts. Read on to discover the public's architectural preferences.

weico is a newly established architecture firm founded by a group of highly experienced industry professionals. Located in a small courtyard near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the studio currently comprises about 20 team members. Beyond building design, weico’s practice spans interior design, urban design, architectural programming, and large-scale project management. The firm places a strong emphasis on the cross-disciplinary integration of design with technology, industry, economics, and the humanities, and has recently begun incorporating graphic design into its project workflows. Led by Principal Architect and Partner Sun Wei, weico—established just over a year ago—has already won bids for and taken on major projects, including the T3 Headquarters, Hengli International Headquarters, the Hongqi High-End Customization Center, and consulting for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) Phase II. The firm was also shortlisted for the CGN Scientific Research Base and the Bay Area University, drawing significant attention within the domestic industry.

Although we are an architecture firm, we do not view design as the end of our work, but rather as the starting point. We hope that all our work can serve as a medium to express our understanding of the world, and even as a tool to drive change.

PIXCITY is a prototype proposed by PIXCITY DAO to encourage the exploration, design, and construction of the future city. It is an experimental project that merges new technologies and artistic design, which will be completed both online and offline.

In order to collect global intelligence and advanced ideas, and provide advice for the development of Shenzhen airport economics, the International Consultation for the Development Strategy and Implementation Strategy of Shenzhen Airport Economics was launched. Registration is now open to outstanding consultation institutions and planning and design institutions all over the world.

weico is a high-profile, emerging design practice founded by a group of highly experienced architects. Its scope of work encompasses architectural design, interior design, urban planning, project programming, and engineering consultancy, with a particular focus on the cross-disciplinary integration of design with technology, industry, economics, and the humanities. Led by principal architect Sun Wei (former partner of HENN China), weico, within less than a year of its inception, has secured and undertaken projects including the T3 Headquarters, Hengli International Headquarters, Hongqi High-End Customization Center, and the Phase II consultancy for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). It has also been shortlisted for the CGN Scientific Research Base and the Bay Area University projects, garnering significant attention within the domestic industry.

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On August 28, the Inaugural Assembly of the Performing Arts Venue Design Branch of the China Association of Performing Arts Equipment Technology and the First China Performing Arts Venue Design Summit Forum were held in Beijing. Co-organized by the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University Co., Ltd. (THAD), the newly established branch is dedicated to fostering the integration of the cultural tourism, performing arts, and architectural design industries. By driving scientific planning, optimizing theater technology, and expanding multifunctional capabilities, the branch aims to enhance the design, construction, and operational quality of performing arts venues across China, contributing to the industry's advancement.

Founded in Shanghai in 2013, genarchitects is a full-service design practice led by three principals: Fan Beilei, Kong Rui, and Xue Zhe. The practice's design work and academic research have been widely published in leading academic journals and professional media, including Architectural Journal, World Architecture, Time + Architecture, New Architecture, and Architecture China. Their work has also been featured in numerous monographs published by prestigious international publishers such as Thames & Hudson (UK), Birkhäuser (Germany), Images Publishing (Australia), and China Architecture & Building Press. Their recently completed project, "Dingshu Adult Education School," was featured as the cover story of the May 2022 issue of Architectural Journal. Other completed projects have been exhibited at prestigious venues and events, including the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the China-Europe Architectural Invitation Exhibition, the Harvard GSD exhibition on contemporary Chinese architecture, and the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (SUSAS).

The principals of genarchitects currently serve as guest design studio instructors at the Department of Architecture, Tongji University, teaching in the Experimental Class for Interdisciplinary and Creative Talents. They have also served as guest critics at Southeast University, Tianjin University, and the China Academy of Art, and have been invited to deliver academic lectures at renowned institutions and venues, including Tongji University, Nanjing University, the University of Hong Kong Shanghai Study Centre, TEDx, and the Power Station of Art (PSA) in Shanghai.

The International Solicitation for the Urban Design of the Center Area of Western China (Chongqing) Science City has officially launched! We warmly invite outstanding design teams from around the world to participate.
International Solicitation for Urban Design of the Center Area of Western China (Chongqing) Science City is now open for pre-qualification! Design teams from home and abroad are welcome to participate.

Founded in 2004 by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, MAD Architects is led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano. The practice is dedicated to exploring the future of architecture, integrating Eastern philosophy into contemporary design, and creating spaces that foster a deep dialogue between humanity, nature, and the environment. Every day, across our Beijing, Los Angeles, and Rome offices, our architects channel their passion into expressing our unique vision of spatial design, crafting fluid, visionary, and technologically advanced architectural environments.

MAD Architects is a global studio of talented architects, designers, and creative thinkers. We are dedicated to impact the experience and understanding of the built space that surrounds us, and from there we develop visionary, fluid, and technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature.

Ranging from large-scale masterplans to imaginative urban complexes, museums, opera houses, social housing, historic renovations, and art installations, MAD maintains a unique design perspective while striving to achieve a harmonious balance between humanity, the city, and the environment. Currently, MAD's global projects include the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza, Jiaxing Railway Station, Yiwu Grand Theater, the Cloudscape of Haikou, and residential developments in Paris, Rome, and Los Angeles.

Our team of 130 works across offices in Beijing, Los Angeles, and Rome. Our projects range from large-scale urban developments and masterplans to imaginative civic, cultural, residential and hospitality buildings of varying scale. We endeavor to improve the balance between people, their built environment, and their natural surroundings.

Since ArchDaily launched its recruitment services, we have received job postings from architecture firms of various scales across China, from Beijing and Shenzhen to Hangzhou. With their unique styles, these practices are active across diverse architectural sectors, seeking talented designers to join their teams. Below is a curated selection of eight firms currently hiring, along with some of their representative projects. We encourage interested readers to apply.

SUPERTOMATO is a service-oriented company specializing in workplace design. With a client-centric approach, we deliver forward-looking, sustainable, and highly effective workspace solutions.

By constantly exploring how people work, SUPERTOMATO aims to design office environments that embody corporate brand culture. We believe such workspaces not only inspire and enhance productivity but also foster physical and mental well-being.

SUPERTOMATO helps clients optimize their workspace investments, delivering value through strategic design that seamlessly integrates aesthetics and functionality.

Beyond participating in the design of the Xiong'an Citizen Service Center—a national-level project in China—our team has built a diverse portfolio of active projects spanning Hong Kong, the United States, and India.

SUPERTOMATO constantly finds new momentum through self-reflection:

• Who is the client? What are their problems or needs?
• What can we do for the client?
• Who do we plan to collaborate with during the work (both internally and externally)?
• What is the client's budget? How should we utilize this budget reasonably?

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The International Competition for the Urban Design of the Core Area of Changping New Town East Zone was hosted by the People's Government of Changping District, Beijing, and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources. Located on the east bank of the Dongsha River in Changping District, Beijing, the project encompasses a 9.1-square-kilometer planning study and ecological development plan, alongside a 1.5-square-kilometer urban design for the core area. Situated north of Beijing's city center, along the canal and at the foot of Mangshan Mountain, the East Zone of Changping New Town lies on a critical axis for northern Beijing's industrial expansion and ecological network integration. In addition to accommodating the specialized industrial clusters from southern Changping, the East Zone introduces the planning concept of "Green Spectrum," leveraging urban functions and spatial-environmental resources to maximize the synergy between ecological livability and industrial positioning.

Founded in 2014, PROJECT Profile Architecture is an internationally recognized design and research collective. Currently, the team consists of over a dozen members, with studios in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Its founders, Chang Ke and Li Wenhan, graduated from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, respectively. Registered architects in the Netherlands, they practiced for several years at major design firms in Europe and China. As specialists in urban renewal and public architecture, the core philosophy of PROJECT Profile Architecture is built on "demand as context, resistance as driver, and innovation as inquiry." PROJECT Profile Architecture seeks to break the boundaries of design, crossing the limits of scale and category to define each design commission as an integrated, comprehensive "PROJECT." The firm focuses on the unique parameters of each PROJECT, strategically proposing tailored solutions and exploring new spatial programs and typologies—particularly those emerging from civil society. By connecting design with real life, they activate and channel the vitality generated by these new models, aiming to contribute to contemporary urban and rural spatial design.

PROJECT Profile Architecture provides full-process design consulting services ranging from programming, architecture, landscape, and interiors to furniture, product design, signage systems, and construction consulting. Instead of treating design as isolated cases, they use the concept of the "PROJECT" to transform design into a continuous, research-driven system with a creative core. They are committed to exploring architectural research and practice rooted in China's current socio-political landscape. The firm operates through a collaborative, research-oriented methodology where all design staff participate in project discussions and decision-making. Viewing design as a form of collective intelligence, they uncover new ideal mechanisms within reality through diverse perspectives. Integrating localized practice with civic engagement defines their current trajectory. By balancing small-to-medium-scale bespoke commissions with large-scale public architecture competition entries, PROJECT Profile Architecture strives to carve out a viable path for a localized professional architectural practice—one that bridges market demands and academic inquiry. Now, we warmly invite you to join us and forge this path together.

Valode & Pistre (VP) is one of Europe's top ten architecture firms and the largest in France. Founded in 1980 by Denis Valode and Jean Pistre, the firm is headquartered in Paris, with branch offices in Beijing, Moscow, and Dubai. Their portfolio spans 35 countries and regions worldwide, encompassing a diverse range of typologies and scales. Widely acclaimed internationally, the practice has also received the Équerre d'Argent, France's highest architectural honor.

Their built portfolio focuses primarily on large-scale public buildings, commercial complexes, and residential developments, including office buildings, international exhibition and convention centers, mixed-use commercial centers, research facilities, hospitality venues, museums, universities, hospitals, and high-end residential projects.

In China, the firm's landmark projects include the Liaoning Cultural Venues, Sanya Haitang Bay International Duty-Free Shopping Mall, Haikou International Duty-Free City, Hangzhou Grand Exhibition Center, Jinan International Convention and Exhibition Center, Wuhan International Exhibition Center, and the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center—currently one of the largest single-structure buildings in the world. Committed to bringing top-tier French expertise to local Chinese projects, the practice delivers tailor-made designs that emphasize physical realization and human scale, ensuring satisfaction for clients and end-users alike.