Talent Spotlight: Stella Liao

International Women's Day 2023

February 23, 2023

Name: Stella Liao

Role: Associate, CHIL

Studio: Vancouver

What are the most beautiful/interesting/exciting things about your job? Throughout the different stages of the design process, there are numerous experiences you will encounter. One of the most challenging and fascinating parts of the concept design is responding to local cultures. Reading about history, watching videos, and conducting online research are just several ways I gain insight into a place or a country’s culture. Discovering critical information that connects the dots to inform and inspire the design of a project is truly rewarding. As I immerse myself in these documents, my mind travels back in time, and I feel different emotions. I’ve even shed tears when reading about the history of a place.

Another beautiful aspect of my job is the relationships I build with people beyond the project. Regardless of the  projects’ scales, there are unique difficulties and challenges associated. But, through working with different parties and studios involved in the project, we become friends and remain in touch, even after the project is completed, sometimes for years.

What’s your biggest achievement as an architect or a designer? How do you think your female architect/designer identity has contributed to that success? As an interior designer specializing in hospitality projects, I have been working in the Hong Kong studio for the past eight years. When I first joined B+H, I had no experience in hotel projects and was not familiar with Hong Kong’s working systems and styles. Although I had almost eight years of experience in luxury residential projects in Taiwan, it did not help much since the hotel projects are much more complex and require knowledge in various subjects, such as hotel operation standards, architecture, engineering, structure, F&B, kitchen materials, and more. However, the company provided a good platform for me to learn and grow.

I was fortunate to work on a high-profile hospitality project in Macau through the entire process, which took over seven years to complete. I was involved in all the stages of the project, from design, drawings, meetings, coordination, site meetings, and inspections. These experiences of hard work built the foundation for me to become a better designer and gave me the confidence to work on other projects. I believe that it was more about my personality that led to this achievement than my gender. During the site’s regular meetings, only a few females were presenting among 20 to 25 men in the meeting, however, we all managed to provide solutions to push the project forward.

Could you share one piece of advice to young females who have a passion for the design/architecture industry? My advice would be to keep pushing your boundaries and not limit yourself to just one design style or being good at only certain phases of the work. It may not be easy, and you may need to work overtime a lot, but your efforts will pay off, and no one can take away these experiences from you.