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Behind the scenes with Jason Li

featuring Portal Studio

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We take a sneak peak behind a practice that believes virtual reality is inextricably tied to the future of architecture, and director Jason Li answers a few questions on his approach to design.

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People & PracticeCraftsmanshipDesign processPortal Studio

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  • ArchiPro Editorial Team

ArchiPro: What gets you excited about the future of architecture?

Jason Li: For centuries this art form was bound by gravity through which places were made. By definition, it only pertains to physical buildings after all. But the same rigour may soon be liberated, when we shoot for the stars and embrace the virtual.

AP: What are three words you would use to describe your approach to design?

JL: Back to roots. When I first saw the word ‘de-sign’ without knowing its meaning, I guessed it might mean something like ‘undo the superficial’. Despite many disagreements from dictionaries, I still think I was kind of right.

AP: How does your passion for music feed into your architectural practice? How are they alike?

JL: When a tune hits me, I sleep less, compose hard, hit dead ends, get frustrated, and find ways to make things work. I learned later, architectural design is the same, just much longer. They both come alive and assume a personality of their own at some point and make me work harder for them.

Jason Li from Portal Studio.

AP: When you walk into a space, what's the first thing you notice?

LI: The light. It is an old school reaction but everything else keeps changing over time.

AP: What do you love most about your work?

LI: Every now and then it pushes me to get better. And then it evolves with me.

AP: Who is your favourite architect?

LI: [Chinese inventor, engineer and carpenter during the Zhou Dynasty] Lu Ban – his story inspired my childhood – perhaps as a representative figure among many other carpenters. They simply kept on perfecting their crafts and tools. When the most beautiful timber architecture was built many of them remained nameless in history.

AP: What is the one piece of advice you would share with a young designer?

LI: See it through.

Interior render of a sea view fire from Portal Studio's 4 The Parade development.

AP: What's a product or material that you're excited about integrating into a project this year?

LI: A Living Flame open-fire facing the sea view. A lot of work has gone into its installation. Lounge in warmth as it taunts the cold waves beyond!

AP: The one thing people always ask me is...

LI: How many units can we fit on site? One more makes me greedy; one less makes me old-fashioned. Over the years I have refined my answer to start with ‘the Big Data says…’.

Discover Portal Studio's latest projects.

An AI module coded by Jason Li for optimising development yield.

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People & PracticeCraftsmanshipDesign process

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