Today we’d like to introduce you to Xianlong Deng.
Hi Xianlong, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am an architectural designer with innovative thinking skills and motivation for initiative. With the provoking design ability, I have been fortune enough to get involve in several impactful projects along my career path.
I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Wuhan University of Technology and obtained a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.
Previously worked at internationally renowned architectural design firms such as Gensler, SOM, and Genesis AEC, the career experience has expose me to exceptional projects experience.
At Gensler, I played as a key role in the design studio, contributing to several large-scale architectural design projects, serving clients including Universal Studios, The Bally’s, and Vista Property, among other well-known companies and developers. Projects involved include Universal Studios Hollywood Hotel & Security System planning, K&M mixed-use development,
Grand Rapids mixed-use development, etc. At Genesis, I worked on laboratory and pharmaceutical factory projects, serving global pharmaceutical clients such as Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, etc.
With solid background and outstanding design projects, I received several honors, including the 2024 MUSE Design Awards Gold Winner, 2024 French Design Awards Silver Winner, the second prize in the 2018 “Xiao Mei Da Cheng” Peng Liu Yang Community Renewal Design Competition organized by Wuhan Urban Planning Bureau, and the Excellence Award in the 2016 Auya Design Star Tengchong Lotus Town International Student Design Competition.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The main challenges that we are facing today is that the post Covid-19 world is kind of weird and different than the previous world. You will find that there are more uncertainty, tension, and challenges that human hare facing today. After experiencing the tears brought by the epidemic, the situation in China has not completely recovered. Chinese policies change abruptly, resulting in many real estate projects being abandoned halfway. Real estate properties are depreciating, causing small and medium-sized enterprises to lose confidence in entrepreneurship. Many industries are undergoing layoffs and salary cuts. When I travel back to China, I heard classmates complaining about their industries. Globally, the post-pandemic supply chain is slowly recovering. Geopolitical instability is exacerbated by conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars. The relationship between China and the United States is also uncertain. Faced with these social realities, young people, including me, can truly feel lost.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
To refreshing your mind, the project I would like to share with you today is Conceptual Design of La Brea Tar Pits Museum Renovation. I played as a leading role in this project who guide the design direction and
The project explores the past and present of La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angles relative to its context and the artifacts embedded in the site. The mission of the project is to unravel the magnificence of the unique geological site and open up the museum to showcase the history that is buried. Our vision for the project is to create a journey that carries people from the present to the past.
The design frames the existing Page Museum with new light-filled exhibition spaces and a parametric canopy that extends over the new museum. The new museum interacts with the landscape through a pathway that leads the visitors across the site. Alongside the pathway, visitors can access the tar pits research field and enjoy the pre-historic landscape. The new canopy also provide shade to the much-needed Los Angeles climate. People can enjoy the refreshing breeze in the semi-outdoor atrium surrounded by exhibition halls that showcases fossils illuminated by the natural light.
The design aims to create a dialogue between the new building and the existing museum, the materiality of the new building and the texture of the fossil, the pattern of the canopy, and the tectonic of the fossil bones… These dialogues bring people from the present to the past.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The most critical live in the post-pandemic world is keep curiosity, keep humble and hungry for knowledge, and keep highly initiative and innovative mind. The world is changing and always throw us with crisis. But with a refreshing idea and mind, you can always find brilliant solutions to tackle with the difficulties.
By cultivating a spirit of curiosity, humility, and innovation, individuals can not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity. Embracing change with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn opens doors to endless possibilities, enabling us to overcome obstacles and make meaningful contributions to our communities and the world at large.
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Image Credits
Carl Cheng
