- Design Practices
About me
As an educator, I lead the experimental 3rd year BA Architecture studio in conjunction with CAFA in China. Ima also the 3rd year design module leader for the BSc Architecture and Environmental Design Programme. I have a strong research interest in museums as spaces of climate action, mixed reality technologies as experimental representation, and housing in a global context. As an Architect, I am the founder of London-based architecture practice Studio JZ. Prior to this I was an associate at award winning practice DSDHA. I am also the co-founder of design and research collective Datascape Realities. I studied architecture at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art, winning the Conran Foundation Design Award and the Will Alsop Award for Urbanism for his Master’s design thesis. I completed my PhD, also at the RCA, on the topic of contemporary Chinese architecture practice, funded by an AEDAS Scholarship.
Teaching
As a Lecturer at the University of Westminster, I run an experimental 3rd Year BA Architectural Design Studio in conjunction with the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China, exploring novel ideas of housing design to address global questions. The programme has been successfully funded by QHT grants and student scholarship from the Chinese Government Scholarship Council. I am also the 3rd year design module leader for the BSc in Architecture and Environmental Design, the only RIBA Part I validated undergraduate course that combines architecture and environmental studies. I also lecture as part of the School of Architecture and Cities Cultural Context teaching modules. I have been a guest critic at the RCA, London Met, AA, and Cambridge.
Research
At the University of Westminster, I am part of the Design Practice Research Group. My research interests are focused on museums as spaces of climate action, mixed reality technologies as experimental representation, and housing in a global context. He is the co-founder of Datascape Realities, a cross disciplinary research collective with the aim to visualise vital research data for the purposes of research, exhibition, and outreach. His practice based research output has taken part in the London Festival of Architecture, Hong Kong Architecture Biennial, the Planet Summer programme at the Southbank Centre, the Collective Rebellion workshop at the Grant Museum, and exhibitions at both COP26 and the Royal Academy. John has also published written research on housing design and practice-based research in contemporary China, in both English and Chinese.
I welcome PHD applications from students who have overlapping interests in the above.
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.