High design society

HDR International Group design principal Alex Wu talks about connecting people through design.

How did your career begin?

I started in New York and spent my time at KPF. I spent the last 8 years at KMD in San Francisco. They were a very highline design firm, and I was recruited to HDR to start an international practice which is only focused on high design international work.

In places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, design really matters, and design becomes part of the brand of the community or the region, so our focus is to explore how to reinvent buildings.

What's in the pipeline now?

At HDR International Group, we're looking for design that actually makes a difference in the world. The Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD) is the most important project in the world, because after 9/11, it's very difficult to enter the US and go to a top teaching hospital.

So to offer that in the Middle East will not only save lives, it will hopefully become a good steward for the world in terms of breaching borders and offering state-of-the-art healthcare not just for the Middle East, but perhaps Asia as well.

What informs your designs?

Being a minority myself in America, I try to erase the lines of difference. Architecture can actually bring people together, which is why I used the village concept [in CCAD], to erase some of the lines between gender, ethnicity and culture.

So many people in the world have fears of the Middle East because they don't know how wonderful the people are there. We need great places to bring people together.

The other aspect of design, which many designers don't talk about, is the architecture of emotion. We're also looking for projects that evoke a sense of community and create a wide variety of experiences.

One of the things I'm trying to do differently is to not look towards historic design, [rather] to bring a modernism. What we want to show is the local culture with a modern flair. We're also looking to expand and create real destinations.

Do you think that's what people are looking for in the region?

One of the great fears I have for the Middle East is the type of copycat architecture that can be seen almost anywhere in the world. [But] parts of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are so unique. For Westerners it's the unique architecture, iconic architecture that really captivates us.

I think the Middle East has really led a movement of change and has opened our eyes to unbelievable heights of what can be done. Although very expensive, through lessons learned, [the Middle East] is starting to progress to a whole new level of design without repetition.

Are there differences between Dubai and Abu Dhabi architecture?

Westerners may consider a lot of Dubai to be an enlarged Las Vegas, but there really is some unique architectural style, forms and shapes and they're really leading the way in design projects.

Abu Dhabi is taking a different approach; they're trying to brand as the cultural hub of the world. Projects like Saadiyat Island, on completion, will create an effect we've never seen before in terms of revitalisation.

They're taking more of the urbanistic movement, looking at lessons learned in smart urban planning, creating community and transportation. It is really showing stewardship in caring for its people.

In your opinion, is Dubai less effective as a steward then?

Absolutely not. I'm in complete an utter awe of the success of Dubai in such a short amount of time. There are very few places that have grown so quickly and branded themselves so quickly.