Justin Lau

Justin is a multiple award-winning architect. He received professional western architectural training in world class practices such as Richard Rogers and Partners, but supported by a profoundly traditional Chinese cultural background, which is often demonstrated in the finest details of his design. He also has a remarkable flair for asset enhancement to create additional value for existing projects. 

Justin is a UK registered Architect; he studied architecture at the Architectural Association and the University of Westminster, graduating with distinction. Before joining the Oval Partnership, Justin held lead design roles in multiple international practices in the UK, and has 20 years' architectural design and management experience. Justin believes good placemaking can create a positive attribute to bring people together. His notable projects include the award-winning Qujiang Creative Cultural Centre at Xi'an, the M8 cultural lifestyle destination at the UNESCO World heritage in Macau, the Temple House Hotel at Taikoo Li Chengdu, and a series of heritage conservation projects at Harrods. Justin is currently engaged on a spectrum of cultural mixed-use development projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chongqing, Chengdu, Nanning, and the Greater Bay Area, where the scope of work covers retail planning, asset enhancement, hospitality with a complete integrated interior architecture to provide a holistic creative and sustainable framework spanning across all scales‚ from citywide to the most intricate of human environment. 

The recently completed Qujiang Creative Cultural Centre in Xi'an has won multiple global highly esteemed design accolades, from the likes of WIN World Interior News Gold Award, DFA Design for Asia Most Influential Design Bronze Award, FX Awards Public Space and Global Project Awards, as well as Frame Awards People's Choice Award - Cultural Space of the Year, etc. Justin leads one of the clusters at Oval, he also leads the Knowledge Management and Continuous Professional Development Programme for the practice. Justin serves as the RIBA International validation board member. He is a regular external reviewer for the Master of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University. 

From 2008 to 2016, he lectured at a number of architectural institutes, including Bartlett School of Architecture, Royal College of Art, Oxford Brookes University, and Ecole Sociale School of Architecture. Numerous academic research projects under Justin's supervision have too, received international recognition, including finalist of the RIBA Presidential medal on four consecutive occasions.