Grace W Cheng Architects & Design Inc
URBAN DESIGN . ARCHITECTURE . INTERIORS
STORY-TELLING . PLACE-MAKING
Grace W Cheng Architects & Design Inc
URBAN DESIGN . ARCHITECTURE . INTERIORS
STORY-TELLING . PLACE-MAKING
About
OUR EXPERTISE
URBAN DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS
Architecture
Mixed-Use
Hospitality
Office Buildings and Campuses
Retail & Entertainment
Residential
Tall Buildings
Facades
North America
Southeast Asia
OUR PHILOSOPHY
- PLACE-MAKING + STORY-TELLING
- ICONIC, YET TIMELESS
- UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE
We believe design is an art of story-telling, that we can use to speak to communities and create a sense of pride and belonging. By creating places, we aim to enhance cities and bring people together.
OUR MISSION
With INTEGRITY, PASSION, & GRACE, we strive to transform our client's vision and bring their projects to fruition by maximizing all resources with our creativity. We aim to ideate and craft designs that excite, inspire, and bring joy to users, as well as to make our planet a better place.
LEAD DESIGNER . STORY-TELLER . PLACE-MAKER
GRACE W CHENG | AIA, LEED AP BD+C | President (Architect License in California, New York, Texas)
A former Principal at CallisonRTKL (Arcadis), a global architectural firm and public company where she had served as design lead for 28 years, Grace is an award-winning architect with expertise in large-scale commercial mixed-use projects, from master planning to architecture, and interiors. Her diverse global portfolio includes urban design, waterfront developments, shopping centers, hotels, offices, corporate campuses and headquarters, as well as cultural institutions and museums. She started her own practice in 2022 to engage in local communities.
Grace's work is notable for its iconic contemporary motifs that acknowledge both context and culture. Her unique skill set has led to numerous industry and design awards.
Some of her renowned projects include the AVIC Center Shenzhen, City Crossing — MixC/Grand Hyatt/China Resources Tower in Shenzhen and Hefei, The W Beijing, Joy City/COFCO Plaza in Tianjin and Chengdu, Dream Mall, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
EDUCATION
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.M.Arch.S., Architecture & Urbanism
- Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
- University of Oregon, B.Arch, Minor in Interior Architecture
LICENSE | CERTIFICATION
- California, New York, Texas
- LEED AP BD+C
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Principal, CallisonRTKL, Inc., Los Angeles, California 1994-2022
- Morphosis, Santa Monica, California
- Kohn Pedersen Fox, New York, New York
AWARDS
Besides over 30 awards for her projects, Grace has won these personal awards:
- Jim Sailor Creativity Award | RTKL Legacy Award Program
- Korean Museum of Art |Los Angeles, CA, Competition exhibition Honorable Mention
- Boston Society of Architects Student / Intern Exhibition
- RTKL Intern/Travel Fellowship Thesis research in Europe for urban waterfronts / place-making
- American Institute of Architect / American Architecture Foundation Scholarship for Advanced Research
- Boucher/Moucha/Larson Award Best Terminal Design Project, University of Oregon
- Honorable Mention, First Annual Felicia R. Clark Wateredge Competition The Re-use of the Northern Avenue Bridge, exhibited in the Build Boston Convention and the Boston City Hall
- Design Competition “Towards an Architecture of Street Rooms”, First Prize
- “Masonry: Housing - The Affordable Dream,” Second Place Award in International Design Competition, traveling exhibition, and publication in: CRIT 26; Shelter, House and Home; AIAS Journal
HEADLINES | PRESENTATIONS
- Presenter, "Mixed-Use Vertical Urbanism: Synergy and Culture from Landmark Sky Hubs to Iconic Podiums”, "Tall Excellence: Seeking the Ideal in Vertical Urbanism", Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2022 International Conference, Chicago November 10- 12, 2022 Track B: Sophisticated Density: an Update on TODs, Mobility and the Idea of Mixed-Use. Attended by 900 delegates from over 40 countries.
- Panelist, "High-Performing Buildings in Asia," Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2019 Worl Congress, Chicago, Illinois, October 28, 2019
- Presenter, "Transit, Infrastructure, and Scale: The New Polycentrism", part of “Polycentric Cities, The Future of Vertical Urbanism” part of “Polycentric Cities, The Future of Vertical Urbanism” Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2018 International Conference, Dubai (October 22, 2018)
PUBLICATIONS
- Tall Buildings, by Arcadis, CallisonRTKL
- Best Tall Buildings: CTBUH International Award Winning Projects. Antony Wood
- Tall Buildings of China, by Georges Binder (Author). Images Publishing Dist Ac
- “W Beijing Hotel - An Interview with RTKL SAVP Grace Gheng”, Architecture Technique
- “Modern Art in An Ancient City, W Beijing Chang’An” Focus
- "W Beijing Comes to Chang'An Street" CBN Weekly, no. 353, W Beijing Premier, interview of RTKL (Clay Markham, Grace Cheng), Starwood and ABConcepts
- "An Urban Gateway Inspires New Business District: Tahoe Chang’An Center, Beijing" CRTKL Wechat
- Tahoe Chang’An Center, CallisonRTKL Linkedin
- Celebrating Women's Month With Female Designers, Building Envelope
- "Tianjin Joy City, Showcasing the Pride of a City" CRTKL Wechat
- Tianjin Joy City, World Architecture Day, video, CRTKL
- "Chengdu Joy City, A Colorful Park in a Mountain", H+A
- “Villa Trissino by Andrea Palladio,” animation of an electronic model, exhibition and publication in film + art 1 Internationales Festival Film + Architektur, Graz/Austria