You are my landscape: a philosophy of love and living environments

In China, we have a poetic expression that touches the very core of my worldview: "You are my landscape" (你是我的风景 - Nǐ shì wǒ de fēngjǐng).

When I use these words with Richard, it is in the first place a deeply romantic gesture. It is my way of telling him that he is the only view I need to find beauty and peace. Richard is my life partner, and our relationship is the foundation of everything I do. Our shared conviction in life is what brought us together as lovers, and it is through our constant reflection on one another in our private life that we discovered a second layer to this sentiment: a shared professional vision. We have been able to translate our personal harmony into our roles as concept developers for the built environment. For us, the boundary between our love and our mission at Studio WeBuild is paper-thin; our professional work is a natural extension of our life together.

You are my landscape. A visual tribute to the shared life conviction and romantic bond that forms the foundation of our work at Studio WeBuild.

The counter-move: love as a benchmark for development

In the often-rational world of project development, I use this romantic sentiment to 'counter' the purely technical. I believe that if we, as concept developers, treat a location with the same tenderness and admiration as those we love, we achieve a higher level of creation.

When I tell Richard, "You are my landscape," I am challenging us both to find that same soul in our work. Our vision for the living environment has grown out of our personal conversations as partners; by looking at the world through the lens of our relationship, we see opportunities as concept developers that a purely business-oriented gaze would miss. We believe that a location, much like a relationship, does not need to be "perfect" to be beautiful—it needs to be understood and cherished. In doing so, we honor our motto: 'Building civilization'.

Chinese truths in our shared vision

Even when we are sometimes miles apart, Richard and I weave our life philosophy into the foundation of Studio WeBuild. It proves that a shared mindset, nourished by our daily reflections as partners, is the strongest basis for a concept developer for the built environment:

• Tian ren he yi (天人合一) – The unity of all. We believe that humanity is not separate from its surroundings. A concept should feel as though it was always meant to be there; a harmony between human intervention and the natural gifts of the earth.

• Yuan fen (缘分) – The predestined connection. This applies to people, but also to places. Just as our hearts were destined to find each other, we look as concept developers for the right 'match' between a community and the soil upon which it rests.

• Zhi yin (知音) – The 'soul listener'. A zhi yin understands your inner music without words. In our partnership, Richard and I are each other’s zhi yin. By reflecting on each other’s dreams as lovers, we have learned to translate that same deep understanding into concepts that sense the needs of residents before they are even voiced.

  
  

Building civilization for the next generation

It fills me with pride that this vision is now being carried forward together with Jess-Avery (Jess) and Rosaline-Maelee (Rose), who are also part of the Studio WeBuild team. They form the living bridge between our philosophy and the future of the built environment.

For Richard and me, "living well" is not just about a shared roof, but about a shared vision that stems from our love for one another. By developing locations with the heart of a partner and the sharp eye of a concept developer, we create landscapes that people will cherish for generations to come. In this way, we give meaning to our promise every single day: Building civilization.