Weijing Wang is a landscape designer and environmental artist with experience across China, Europe, and the United States. She has worked at Snøhetta in Oslo, PLACE Studio in Portland, and Zhu Yufan Landscape Atelier in Beijing, contributing to projects ranging from large-scale opera houses and gardens to installation and performance art.
My name is Weijing Wang but you can call me Lulu and I am a landscape designer / environmental artist practicing in China, Europe and the United States.
I have a diverse design background in both urban and landscape design, with a strong interest in culturally and artistically driven landscapes, as well as projects focused on sustainability.
I used to work at Snøhetta Oslo, Norway; PLACE Studio in Portland, the United States and Zhu Yufan Landscape Atelier in Beijing, China.
I have worked on a range of scale of landscape projects form mega opera houses and gardens to installation and performance art. Spanning three containments in my early career gives me an edge on being exposed to different culture and be sensitive to the relation between space and people.
Personally, I am more intrigued when a project has a good storyline and it aligns well with the representation. Projects that invites me to read.
First example that comes to my mind is the railroad park in Wudaokou, transformed from the old "JingZhang" rail, which encapsulate the old within the new.
It depends on the type of project. Usually, there is a 'concept'—the idea and main goal I want to convey with my design. I then use sketches and draft models to quickly express the concept, which could be a system diagram for larger projects or drawings for aesthetic appeal.
We then communicate with the client (or 'imaginary client') to find better solutions and ensure the construction aligns with our mutual goals.
When I browsed the photos of the explosion at the port of Alang, India, on the BBC, I was deeply shocked. The poorly planned local work processes and the harsh exploitation of natural shorelines not only cause severe marine pollution but also directly threaten the safety and health of the workers.
I began searching for a viable solution to the development dilemma in this region, where ship-breaking is a pillar industry, without introducing complicated technologies. My approach combines cotton production with ship-breaking industries to create a better, safer, and more sustainable system for the locals.
The project aims to modify the shoreline with a series of 'feather islands' extending from the coast, incorporating cotton farms and other industrial infrastructures to optimize the workflow of both industries. These 'feather islands' are designed to accommodate ships of various sizes, allowing them to be pre-cleaned and dismantled. They are also contoured to utilize tidal forces, assisting in towing ships ashore.
With its aesthetic and technical innovations, the project has the potential to significantly contribute to sustainability and, most importantly, save lives.
First, the people I love working with and have friendships with.
Second, the nuances of interpretation.
Third, creating possibilities for the public.
Weijing Wang is a landscape designer and environmental artist with experience across China, Europe, and the United States. She has worked at Snøhetta in Oslo, PLACE Studio in Portland, and Zhu Yufan Landscape Atelier in Beijing, contributing to projects ranging from large-scale opera houses and gardens to installation and performance art.
Read more about this interview with Yue Hu from the United States, the Silver Winner of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.