2025 Winner

Mr Zhihong Lin


Title: Director
Company: Aedas
Design Philosophy:

My design philosophy rejects ""predictable correctness"" and is grounded in a belief that ""architecture inspires connections."" In practice, I approach buildings as self-evolving organic entities that engage in a dynamic dialogue with the city, environment, and users. By deeply integrating functional needs, humanistic insight, and spatial design, each of my projects becomes a thoughtful, timely, and human-centric solution.

I believe I deserve this recognition for three key reasons:

First, the breadth of my practice and depth of my collaborations. My portfolio spans a wide spectrum of typologies and scales, with projects both domestically and internationally. This has honed my understanding of various fields and my ability to collaborate deeply with experts from diverse disciplines, ensuring innovative ideas are realized from multiple perspectives.

Second, the foresight and humanistic grounding of my thinking. My design philosophy is rooted in continuous social observation and a profound sense of humanistic responsibility. This drives my work to transcend mere form and actively address universal, contemporary issues, fulfilling an architect’s role in society.

Third, my future potential and commitment to contribution. My career is entering a phase of intellectual maturity and burgeoning creativity. I value all the recognition received thus far and am eager to leverage the ""40 Under 40"" platform to exchange ideas with leading peers, dedicating myself to creating even more impactful work for the future.