JOSIE LI
Photo portrait by Kendra Kay.
Josephine Li is a Chinese/Vietnamese – Canadian architecture student from Toronto, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from Laurentian University, McEwen School of Architecture. She’s currently finishing up her first year of her M.Arch from the University of British Columbia, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
Throughout her studies, Josie has had a huge interest in representation and place based design. Stemming from her undergrad, Josie has a large interest in the preservation and evolution of Chinatowns in North America and still plans to continue this into her thesis year. During her studies, Josie has developed a great appreciation for post-production and graphic work, leading her to do freelance graphics for various social media accounts as well as for an online magazine, Overachiever Magazine.
Where are you from?
I was born in Toronto, Ontario but grew up mostly in Maple, Ontario next to Canada’s Wonderland!
What is your favorite dish?
Ohhh man, there are so many to choose from. Vietnamese food always hits the spot though, especially my mom’s Bún Bò Huế.
Three additional fun facts
I danced for most of my life and spent over five years training in traditional Chinese dance.
I have fairly wavy/curly hair which seem to confuse a lot of people.
I pretend I’m fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin but that’s such a lie. I will admit that I am better than a lot of my cousins if that counts for anything.
Louder Than You Know: Representation and Place Based Design
What inspired you to study landscape architecture?
My mom! She always wanted to study architecture, but life happens. She never forced me into it but if it wasn’t for her, I probably would’ve ended up in medicine or something.
Graduate Work – Dusk + Dawn. Render by Josephine Li (April 2021). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
Name a woman architect (preferably Asian or Pacific Islander) who most influenced you as an emerging professional? Why or How did they?
All my boss women profs throughout my architectural education thus far have been huge inspirations. I do my best to seek mentorship from all my women professors throughout my architectural career.
Graduate Work – Dusk + Dawn. Render by Josephine Li (April 2021). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
Name a favorite project completed by a Woman Architect (preferably Asian or Pacific Islander). Why is it your favorite?
One of my favourite projects is the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque by Marina Tabassum. The light quality that comes into this space is so beautiful. It’s such a simple move by playing with the undulation, spacing, and density of bricks. This simple move was also an effective way of keeping costs down and introducing a natural ventilating system for the space.
Graduate Work – Intersecting Grids. Render by Josephine Li (December 2020). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
How does your culture/ethnicity affect your studies and the way you design?
I think my culture in the context of North American education is that I need to take the initiative to learn about Asian architecture. Going to school in Canada, a lot of my design education weighs in on Eurocentric design principles and aesthetics. This has definitely programmed my approach to design and I’m curious how different of a designer I would be had I been brought up with a more diverse architectural education.
Final Undergrad Work – The Greenhouse Effect. Render by Livingston Boyd and Josephine Li (April 2020). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
What is your favorite memory in architecture school or work? Why?
I think one of my favourite memories of architecture school is the very first all-nighter my best friend, Courtney, and I had. We were both in second year and just couldn’t understand why everything takes so long to do. I remember us just taking 20-minute naps together under random desks. So rough. I still wonder this though; I always have to add an additional five hours to my allotted time per drawing because EVERYTHING TAKES SO LONG.
Travel Photo. Friendships and I at the Villa Aalto in Helsinki, Finland (Summer 2018). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
Are there any organizations that helped you grow in architecture? How did they help you grow?
I think all the student-led organizations and groups from my undergrad and now in my grad school are super impactful. They’ve become collaborative spaces that has helped me improve my skillset as a designer and in general good groups of people to be around in a high stress program.
Travel Photo. My team (Muskan, Andrei) and I building our installation for the Bergen International Wood Festival in Bergan, Norway. Photo by Andrei Nemes (Summer 2018). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
If you were able to talk to your younger self, what would you say?
I would probably tell myself to stop taking things so seriously. Ever since elementary school I put way too much pressure on myself. I remember staying up until 3 am in Grade 7 making a presentation poster where I cut out bubble letters individually meanwhile my classmates literally glued whole A4 sheets of paper to cardstock. Why did I do that to myself??
Post mid crit and all-nighter with Livingston Boyd. Photo by Andrei Nemes. Image courtesy of Josie Li.
What would you want to say to the next generation of aspiring Asian and Pacific Islander women architects/designers?
That your voice is louder than you know. I can hear you right now.
Quarantine model making aka no boundaries from my pup. Image courtesy of Josie Li.
Material exploration work with my group and pretending we know what we are doing (Hannah, Harman, and Josephine). Image courtesy of Josie Li.
