WZWX / 澤新建築

Curved white walls of the salt laboratory in winter snow, Huai'an

Founded in 2014 · Partners with 20 years’ experience each · 20+ international and regional awards

WZWX is a multi-award-winning architectural practice specialising in industrial architecture and commercial mixed-use — factories, laboratories, logistics halls, workplaces, harbour factory revitalisation, brand interiors and selected masterplans — across Taiwan and China. It is led by brothers Dr Richard Wang and Dr Stephen Wang, trained in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Europe, with studios in Taipei, Shenzhen and Jiangsu.

Our work spans advanced manufacturing parks, factories, R&D and office bases, and laboratory and testing centres, extending to mixed-use commercial developments, brand experience spaces and concept stores — across the whole value chain of production, R&D, display, sales and experience. We also support international companies establishing or expanding facilities in Taiwan and China. Across all of it we prefer understated beauty: clean, unsuperfluous, carefully distilled.

As your single point of contact, we can start with land due diligence (site analysis, traffic connections, code review, feasibility, timeline and budget) and carry the project through masterplan, architecture, interior, furniture and full construction supervision.

Before founding WZWX, the Wang brothers worked for OMA/AMO in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the practice founded by Pritzker Prize laureate Rem Koolhaas. They then spent five years on the client side as managers of architectural design at Shihlien Chemical, a major chemical manufacturer in China — designing plants, laboratories, dormitories, guest facilities and dining halls, expanding existing factories, and taking part in real estate development. There they jointly project-managed Building on the Water, designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Álvaro Siza and Carlos Castanheira, which won ArchDaily’s 2015 Office Building of the Year. That experience shapes how we work. Having sat on the owner’s side of the table, we think as owners do. We give practical advice and make sound decisions, and we design buildings that work for production and for the people inside them: practical to run for years to come, easy to maintain and built to last.

Founding partners

Founding partner & Principal Architect

Dr Richard Wang (WZ)

Dr Richard Wang, founding partner of WZWX

Founding partner. Architecture, interior and furniture.

  • PhD in Urban Planning, UCL Bartlett, London, UK
  • Masters in Architecture & Urbanism, Architectural Association (AA), London, UK
  • Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours), University of Auckland, New Zealand

Taught urban planning and sociology at Tongji University, Shanghai (2012–2024).

Founding partner & Principal Architect

Dr Stephen Wang (WX)

Dr Stephen Wang, founding partner of WZWX

Founding partner. Architectural design and project management.

  • PhD in Social Policy, London School of Economics (LSE), UK
  • Masters in Architecture & Urbanism, Architectural Association (AA), London, UK
  • Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours), University of Auckland, New Zealand

Has written for International Journal of Housing Policy and Urban Policy and Research.

Coastal bay with green hills and native bush, Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Growing up in New Zealand left us with a deep respect and appreciation for nature — it is rooted in how we work. That sensibility shapes how we site each project in its context, how inside and outside connect, how space flows between them, how views are framed, and how daylight is brought in. These concerns remain at the core of our design approach, whether the brief is a production hall, a laboratory, or a quieter place for people to rest.

We focus on functionality, aesthetics and human comfort.

For industrial projects in China and Taiwan especially, attracting labour into manufacturing has become harder. From our experience, improving workers’ working and leisure environments helps recruit and retain talent — and is increasingly necessary.

Even as manufacturing moves towards automation and robotics, many processes still depend on skilled hands. In meat processing every piece is different, so cutting still needs people. The carbon-fibre frames of top-end bicycles are still laid up by hand. For work like this, the interior environment of a factory will stay vital for years to come. It makes production spaces more appealing, more comfortable and more productive.

Guided by a rigorous, finely detailed aesthetic and a human-centred design philosophy, our work has won 20+ international and regional awards, including the German Design Award, Red Dot “Best of the Best”, the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors and the Architizer A+ Awards, pushing forward innovation in industrial space.

Richard Wang and Stephen Wang, founding partners of WZWX, in the Building on the Water, with the Shihlien Chemical factory in the background

Team

Director of Construction Management

C.H. Lin

C.H. Lin, Director of Construction Management, WZWX

With 30 years of experience in civil construction management, Mr Lin specialises in the comprehensive coordination of structural design, façade design, MEP services, and interior detailing across residential, office and industrial projects. He brings a unique sensitivity to design in his approach to the art of project management.

He was chief construction manager for The Building on the Water, the headquarters of Shihlien Chemical, named ArchDaily's Office Building of the Year in 2015.

Firm profile

Featured in IndesignLive — WZWX Rising Stars (2017)

Featured in Architizer — Emerging Firms to Watch (2021)

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Firm thesis

Rethinking Industrial Architecture

Version 2.0 / July 2025

Stacked shipping containers seen from above
Photo: Matthew Henry / Burst

Industrial architecture has been an area of deep interest and investigation for us since 2010. Our work has taken us across industrial zones located in diverse parts of China and Taiwan, where we have carried out the design of bespoke production facilities, technology parks, cutting-edge factory complexes and related amenities, offering us a unique insight into the changing intricacies and potentials of “productive architecture”.

Manufacturing currently accounts for about 16% of the global economy (in GDP terms), and about 14% of global employment (World Bank, n.d.; United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2024). It represents one key facet of national and urban development policy, and continues to be a key stabilising force underpinning socio-economic growth. In China, the largest global manufacturer, industry and construction together contribute over a third of the national GDP and almost 30% of all employment, with industrial added value alone exceeding U.S. $5.5 trillion (National Bureau of Statistics of China, n.d.; World Bank, n.d.). Even in the US — although widely regarded as a ‘post-industrial’ economic power — manufacturing still accounts for about 10% of the country’s vast GDP, contributing about US$2.9 trillion a year to its national economy (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, n.d.; National Institute of Standards and Technology, n.d.).

Read the full thesis →

Frequently asked

Who is WZWX Architecture Group?

WZWX (澤新建築) is an architectural practice led by founding partners Dr Richard Wang and Dr Stephen Wang, with studios in Taipei, Shenzhen and Jiangsu.

What does the practice specialise in?

Industrial architecture and commercial mixed-use — factories, laboratories, logistics halls, workplaces, harbour and brand interiors, and selected masterplans across Taiwan and China.

Where are the studios?

Taipei, Shenzhen and Jiangsu — covering work in Taiwan and mainland China.

How do international companies engage WZWX?

Write to info@wzwx-group.com or use the Contact enquiry form. Describe the building type, location and programme — industrial, commercial, interior or masterplan. We reply directly; no third-party disclosure of personal information.

What languages does the site and practice work in?

This site toggles English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Project work and client conversations are handled in the languages needed for Taiwan and China commissions.

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