Kaiwen Zhao

Kaiwen Zhao is a multidisciplinary designer with an international background in architecture, industrial design, and spatial practice. He earned his BFA in Industrial Design from RISD and his MArch from the Yale School of Architecture. Zhao has taught at the CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning and served as a guest lecturer at NYU Tisch and as a guest critic at Syracuse University.

Zhao has been recognized for his emerging influence in the fields of architecture and design. His distinctions include Forbes’ China 30 Under 30, FRAME Awards’ Best Emerging Designer nominee, POSITION Award China Best 100 Young Architect, Guangzhou Design Week 40 Under 40, AD China 100 YOUNG, and WYDF Top 100 Designer.

In 2020, Zhao founded BAICAI Design, a cross-disciplinary design studio based in Shenyang and New York. The practice engages in architecture, spatial design, exhibitions, and product design and has earned numerous global accolades, including awards from FRAME, AD 100 Young, Dezeen, Architizer A+, Architecture MasterPrize, DFA Hong Kong, APIDA, K-Design, Novum Design, WYDF100, and Kukan Design. His work has been featured in such outlets as Gestalten, INTERIORS Korea, AD China, FRAME Magazine, Pretty Home Taiwan, and id+c, as well as in leading digital platforms including Dezeen, Leibal, Architizer, Divisare, Vogue, Elle China, Yatzer, Cosmopolitan, Gooood, and Designverse.