Meet Chun-Wei Lee: TG0 Design Engineer
Meet Chun-Wei Lee, TG0’s design engineer
Hi Chun! 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 I came 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 that was 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?
It's quite unique. 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 house buildings, and even interior design and art installations. But I liked Japanese culture and already had a basic level of Japanese after studying the language at school. I had an aunt who lived there too so I could stay with her. I was there for almost three years and it was an interesting experience. Eventually I quit my job in Japan and moved back to Taiwan.
When did you come to the UK?
After working in the architectural industry for almost 10 years, 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 decided to go back to university to study for a Master’s degree and was accepted by the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Imperial College London to study a Master’s of Science in Global Innovation Design. It looked like an interesting programme with students from lots of different backgrounds, which also involved two terms overseas. I deferred my place a couple of times while finishing work in Taiwan, but arrived in the UK in 2018.
How did you find the course?
It was really good. I spent a term in Tokyo, and another in New York and it’s a very international cohort with students from those universities studying in London with us too. We all moved around together. That taught us how to collaborate but also think on our feet and adapt to unfamiliar environments. I don’t think you’d find another programme that provided quite that level of training or experience.
How did you hear about TG0?
I heard about TG0 through the RCA because Ming Kong (the founder of TG0) and Samuel Iliffe (TG0’s head of research and development) studied innovation design engineering there. Then after I graduated, TG0 needed someone to help with some prototyping. Initially they only needed support for a week but I stayed on as a freelancer for around six months. I was also working part time with some friends who were working on an expression design project. Then in October 2022, I joined TG0 as a full time employee.
What do you do as a design engineer?
My background is quite different from the more traditional industrial design training. At the beginning, I was working on prototyping and testing, as well as concept development and general design tasks. Now I’m doing a lot of project management, particularly when our 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 kind of products people will buy and how we can develop products that will change a user’s behaviour.
Is your architecture experience helpful?
Yes definitely. I’m the only designer with an architectural background, so we have discussed how our technology may be applicable to the build environment or interior design decisions in the future. We had an interesting idea about fitting room spaces, for example, whereby our technology can detect someone’s behaviour without the use of cameras.
What hobbies do you like to do 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 my favourite architect Kazuyo Sejima. I also enjoy working on my cooking. I really like spicy hot pots, which are famous in Taiwan.
Tell us something your colleagues don’t know about you?
I was into literature and language when I was in high school. As well as studying Japanese, I wrote poems and won some poetry recital competitions. I don’t write poems anymore but I think that experience really helped me build the communication skills that I still use every day.
