Yan Gao

Mr. Gao is Assistant Professor of architecture at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), teaching M.Arch seminars of creative computational design and BIM and a design studio. He is the programme director for Digital Practice: Hong Kong and supervising M.Arch thesis students. He is also the programme director of the AA Beijing Visiting School (2010-2012), to be hosted at Tsinghua University, visiting lecturer at University of Saint Joseph Macau. He has taught in AA Design and Research Lab (2008-2009) and AA Shanghai Visiting School (2007-2009) and a number of parametric workshops in China.
In 2006, he co-founded NoDE (Network of Design Emergence) to push the boundary of architectural discipline, theories and techniques based upon cutting edge digital means. In 2010, he was appointed as the Consulting Creative Director of dotA Architectural Design Ltd Beijing, where he has led various projects and competitions with a range from interior to urban scale. Yan is also collaborating actively as a leading member of Ocean CN. Before joining HKU, Yan practiced at Marks Barfield Architects London, where he co-founded REALM (Research in Emergent ALgorithmic Modelling) group, and delivered many high profile projects including the multiple awards winning project, Kew Tree Top Walkway and Rhizotron (Completed in May 2008). He left Marks Barfield Architects in early 2009 and joined Crystal CG London as Architectural Director leading the Department of Research & Development.
Yan’s works and writings have been published in the UK and China, including the two influential issues in China, Articulating Complexity and Parametric Design for World Architecture Magazine at Tsinghua University Beijing. His research focuses on creative and synthetic design applications for contemporary architecture through computation. This approach immerses the use of computational/parametric design into a big variety of projects including vernacular architecture, interior, landscape, urban design, and so on so forth. It also exposes architectural design to the inter-disciplinary network in social, economic, environmental, political, professional and technical dimensions. His pragmatic researches bridge theory, techniques, Chinese philosophy and practice, aligning architectural value and performance to the significance of urban architecture in the changing context of China.

Major Research Interests

Creative design applications for contemporary architecture and new urbanism through computation.

Education

• Master's Degree The Architectural Association School of Architecture (2003 — 2005)
• Bachelor's Degree Tsinghua University (1997 — 2002)