RAAW Design Group have been shortlisted in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2023. Read more about Founder & Principal, Allyse Y. Li, below:

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Name: Allyse Y. Li

Company: RAAW Design Group (RAAW Design & Associates in association with RAAW Development & Properties Co. Ltd) 

Position within company: Founder, Principal

Website: www.raaw.design

Tell us a little about your background in design:

I have my design background in interiors and urban design at the graduate research level. I am a registered interior designer in North America through the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification), with the designation as RID, under the IDIBC for practicing in British Columbia, Canada. I also have a business school education in urban land economics, with concentration in real estate development. My combined background allows me to practice and examine design across scale, interdisciplinarily. My practice mirrors my academic background, with an ambition to take sustainability into account for every project and at any scale. As a LEED consultant, I am familiar with LEED for Interiors+Construction, LEED for Homes and LEED for Cities and Communities.

How would you describe your personal design style?

Rather than a style, I am more focused on performance. A key performance I seek for is project “sustainability”, with strong financial feasibility, economic longevity, and robust functionality, to name a few themes within this broad sustainability framework.

Where does your design inspiration come from?

I find inspiration from the little things in life, and from the challenges we face as a generation, and as a population; from life and from nature; from engaging in design up close, being grounded in reality.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?

Our strategic vision as a firm is to bring all RAAW Development & Properties projects in our residential design sector to meet the present day sustainability demands, in high performance and passive standards as a prerequisite. Behind what is aesthetically pleasing, the built environments we create must first meet planetary wellness, because what is good for the planet is also good for human. And this, is our future as designers, builders, developers and as stakeholders of the ecosystem.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2023 and beyond.

1. Sustainability of materiality: it’s past, present and future.
2. Adaptiveness of spaces: how might the use change in 2, 5 or 10 years.
3. Feasibility of designs: financial performances (a next-level approach)
4. Resilience to ware and tear: performance of the designs, repair options
5. Cultural sensitivity: who is occupying the space, is it culturally inclusive?

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?

Design is story telling, when it comes to design schemes. Ensuring the designer or the design team engages in properly conducted design research is critical. Do understand how to draw the wall section, but also question what it means to draw a wall in the first place, so to speak.

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?

We are never concerned about marketing for excellence in design, because that is what we do everyday for every project and our clientele knows this already. But when it comes to sharing this excellence with the world, to inspire and to engage, we are much concerned about the process of awarding and determining it. So far, The International Design & Architecture Awards presented by Design et al. is the most unbiased and publicly involved platform we have yet to witness. We take great pride in being associated with these awards, and as shortlisted projects alongside an abundance of excellent projects by other designers across the world. 

What projects are you currently working on?

Of the many, and apart from our capital investment projects where we act as designer-developer, the most exciting project we have currently going on is an international estate-home, a custom residential property located in a modern port city on the Liaodong Peninsula, in China.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?

It is hard to identify a singular favourite. The projects I hold closest to my heart are those from which we build lasting relationships.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?

The most challenging project to date would be the Adera Residence, one of the shortlisted projects in the Residential £5 Million Plus (market value) category. The project started in 2017 as a new build custom home. Throughout, the client encountered several issues that were unrelated to design, but that impacted design greatly. The biggest setback was COVID-19 in 2020 when the last mile of the project had been significantly slowed down, at which point it was at the interior finishes stage. We managed to pull through, building a very strong relationship with our client, and this has led to another exciting opportunity, to our surprise.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?

There are a great many, but if I had to be specific, then it would be coffee, tea and saké. Technical and infrastructural requirements are one thing, but having the right energy at the right moments are important to me. I cannot imaging doing anything else other than design, for it is the love of my life. Enjoying what I do in every moment is perhaps as important as the doing.

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?

RAAW will consistently seek to create equitable, sustainable and healthy interior built environments through our design integrated developmental practice, project management and delivery processes for our firm, our clients and all stakeholders occupying the spaces. Currently, I have completed all trainings required for the Passive House Institute, and am working on my certification to become a CPHD in the next year or so, to pull our weight in climate action, and lead by action.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?

I’m not a things-person. My most treasured are my two children, Oaklee and Onalee, and the family which I call my team. If I had to name a possession, that would be my conservatory pianos.

Your favourite holiday destination?

The Tokyo Disneyland, for nostalgic reasons.

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?

Favourite hotel is Harvard Square Hotel, and Sonders at Main in Boston.

Your favourite book, film & song?

The Tyranny of Merit by M. Sandel, Titanic (1995) By James Cameron, Prélude No. 1 BWV 846 in C Major by J.S.Bach

Your favourite food and drink?

Beijing’s “zha-jiang-mian” noodle, my morning coffee.

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?

Project site visits with a scenic drive.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
Most likely a lawyer in the field of Environmental Law or perhaps a Geologist.

Anything else interesting?

I am a mother of two, and my children always inspire me. They also keep me on my toes, especially in sustainability, which is so thoroughly integrated into my work and those RAAW design engages in. What will our generation leave behind for theirs?

RAAW Design Group

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