Yang Zhao was born in Chongqing, China. After studying at Tsinghua University, he established his own practice, Zhaoyang Studio, in 2007. For the first three years, the studio worked closely with Standardarchitecture, a leading new-generation design firm, in Beijing. In 2010, Zhao attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he received a Master’s degree in architecture with distinction. Among his several built works, the Niyang River Visitor Center in Tibet, completed in collaboration with Standardarchitecture, has received international acclaim as a project that successfully transforms the natural landscape and creates a sense of place in a unique way. Zhao was awarded the 2010 WA Chinese Architecture Award from Beijing-based World Architecture magazine.
Currently located in Dali, Yunnan Province, Zhaoyang Architects tries to explore architectural solutions to the emerging Chinese urban conditions. In 2012, Zhao was selected as the inaugural architectural protégé of the acclaimed Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Under the direction of his mentor Kazuyo Sejima, Zhao designed Home-for-All in Kesennuma to help victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Zhao’s design works and interviews have been widely published. He is also invited to speak in Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Art Basel talks in Hong Kong. Zhao’s recent works were exhibited at Fondazione Cini during the Rolex Arts Weekend in Venice in Oct. 2013.