After almost a decade working as an architect in Taiwan and Japan, Chun-Wei Lee retrained as a design engineer. Here, he reflects on making the switch, his passion for the business side of product development, and his favourite design museum in the world.
**Tell us a bit about your background?**
I'm originally from Taipei in Taiwan. I studied architecture at university and worked in that sector for almost a decade in Taiwan and Japan before coming to the UK.
**What got you into architecture?**
I was quite interested in design growing up but wasn't sure what kind of design I wanted to focus on. The construction industry is huge, so I thought it could give me a good opportunity to develop my career. I spent six years at university, and then my professor introduced me to a Japanese architecture firm starting a project in Taiwan. I was their first member of staff in their Taiwanese office, and then after a year, I moved to Tokyo with them.
**How did you find living in Tokyo?**
The architecture industry in Japan is really traditional, and so is the working culture. We spent a lot of time at the office, working on all sorts of projects — from commercial buildings to private houses, and even interior design and art installations. I had an aunt who lived there too. I was there for almost three years and it was an interesting experience.
**When did you come to the UK?**
After almost 10 years in architecture, I decided it was time for a change. Each project can take up to five years to complete and I wanted to do more short-term work. I was accepted by the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London to study an MSc in Global Innovation Design — an interesting programme with students from lots of different backgrounds, involving two terms overseas. I arrived in the UK in 2018.
**How did you hear about TG0?**
I heard about TG0 through the RCA, as Ming Kong (TG0's founder) and Samuel Iliffe (head of R&D) studied innovation design engineering there. After graduating, TG0 needed someone to help with prototyping. Initially they only needed support for a week, but I stayed on as a freelancer for around six months. In October 2022, I joined as a full-time employee.
**What do you do as a design engineer?**
My background is quite different from traditional industrial design training. At the beginning, I worked on prototyping, testing, and concept development. Now I do a lot of project management — particularly when clients or manufacturers are in Taiwan or China. I'm interested in design but also the business side of product development. I enjoy thinking about what products people will buy and how we can develop products that will change a user's behaviour.
**Is your architecture experience helpful?**
Yes. I'm the only designer with an architectural background, so we've discussed how our technology may be applicable to the built environment or interior design decisions in the future. We had an interesting idea about fitting room spaces — our technology could detect someone's behaviour without the use of cameras.
**What hobbies do you enjoy outside work?**
I love visiting museums and galleries. In London, the Design Museum is one of my favourites — but my all-time favourite is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan. It was designed by Kazuyo Sejima, one of my favourite architects.
