January 1 2020
The Future of Architecture: Glimpse the designs of buildings we’ll soon be inhabiting


January 2021: A note from Hope, publisher, BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine — It is a pleasure to launch 2021 to look to the future. With that goal in mind, we are honored to feature two dynamic young architects who have an eye on the future.
Meet Weijia Song and Alex Yuen, founders of Collective Operations, an architectural and urban design, research, and development firm seeking to do things differently.
“We focus on design, research, and development because we think that each is most powerful when working in tandem with the others. Often, research focuses on the past, development has an eye to the future, and architecture focuses on space here and now. As designers trying to make a positive impact, it is important that we consider all of these moments together,” explains Weijia, a native of New Zealand who partnered with Alex in founding Collective Operations and setting up an office in 2021 in San Francisco, CA. “We balance work between private and public clients while also keeping an eye out to initiate projects ourselves or with partners.”
Alex shares: “We really believe that good design has agency informing culture – or put more simply, it affects how people behave with each other. Both Weijia and I are third culture kids, we grew up in a culture that was not our own, and we use that hybrid world view to seek out new possibilities for spaces of interaction.”
Their design process is centered around addressing each project’s needs and client across a range of scales.“We have to shift the scale at which we design constantly. For instance, for a residential project, we are equally concerned with how the design performs within the landscape or city as we are with the details and finishes, and we work with clients to help them understand their needs across all of these scales. It’s interesting how architecture is somehow both the most public and most intimate of creative professions,” Weijia adds.
Please scroll down for their responses to our questions about the future of housing, architecture, their trip from student to architect, and more.
Spoiler alert: Weijia and Alex have been selected to design the first Inkandescent Health & Wellness Center, located in the high desert of Las Cruces, NM. This retreat center for women will provide the opportunity for ladies from around the world to come together to connect, heal, and create amazing visions for their lives. Packed with opportunities to do yoga, meditate, hike and bike, enjoy healing food and native rituals, and dance under the stars — the Center will feature regular workshops for writers, artists, photographers, musicians, and more! Built into the natural habitat, this solar-powered Center will live in balance with the gorgeous natural setting. Stay tuned for details!
- Check out our video interview on Inkandescent.tv
- Click here to answers to 8 Questions for Weijia and Alex: The Future of Architecture Design and Practice
- Learn more about these two innovative architects at co-operations.org.