Aedas Global Design Principal Ken Wai was recently invited to serve as one of the six Honorary Academic Judges for the 1st “Pro+ Award”. Founded by the Real Estate Architects Branch of the Architectural Society of Shanghai China, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Shanghai, and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) China Chapter, the Pro+ Award has received great responses with over 1,000 entries, covering 10 sectors and specialties. The 1st Pro + Award Ceremony and Academic Forum was recently held at the InterContinental Hotel in Jing’an, Shanghai.
The panel of judges focused on the full life cycle of architectural projects and seeked to recognise works with the highest commercial, social and cultural value. As an award winning architect himself, Ken Wai highly values works that are in harmony with its milieu and are able to encapsulate creative design and cultural heritage. “City evolution is thrust by the pursuit of humanistic progress, and idiosyncratic architecture. We believe building should be a vessel through which users’ needs are reified, as opposed to being an emotional outlet for designers and architects. That’s why, I always factor in the local historical context, urban sentiment and environmental texture during the assessment.”
Pro+ Award is a worldly platform aimed at facilitating the sharing between architects, to achieve personal growth and promote industry development. This philosophy of Ken’s is contiguous with that of the Pro + Award. “Only diversified and open exchange can promote the continuous progress of the entire industry, and the Pro+ Award has provided us the ideal platform. We certainly look forward to seeing more remarkable work that would help us preserve the integrity of city construction,” he added.
