Your Interview Qingzhu Li

Introduce yourself (name, company, position, country) and tell us how you got into lighting design (including education/qualifications).

My name is Li Qingzhu and I am from Beijing, China. Now I work in Puri Lighting Design as a project designer. I was admitted to the Department of Environmental Art and Design of the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts in 2012 and started to learn lighting design.

Tell us about your work – is there a specific type of project you like to work on or an area you specialise in and why?

The types of projects that I specialize in are architectural lighting design and interior lighting design, both of which I am interested in.

What project are you most proud of and why?

My favorite project is No. 5 Binxi Road, Tianjin. The effect of this project is what I want. In this project, our team deeply studied the material of the curtain wall and found the most suitable lighting effect. Dim and dreamy, gentle and warm, the light expresses a unique sentiment in its own unique language. In the glimpse of the floating light, everything in this environment is quiet and attracting. In addition, this project was shortlisted for the annual leisure category of the British LDA Lighting Design Award in 2020.

What is the biggest challenge that you have overcome in your career?

To read, to understand, to explain architecture with light and to understand that building materials collide with each other and present the best results.

How does light inspire you?

I think that “the most accurate answer to the problem of architecture can be found through lighting design”. In the process of designing the project, I review the architecture, interpret the lighting, find the most suitable design for the building, and complete the work.

What is your message for other Women In Lighting?

The understanding and creativity of Women can give lighting design different souls. Women's unique thinking logic can break through the constraints of the rational framework and thus have more perspectives to discover the charm of light.