“MDO is dedicated to exploring the relationship between space and scale, proportion, details, materials, light & shadow, and colors. We want to create a special journey for different spaces.”
MDO (MORE DESIGN OFFICE), co-founded by Jaycee Chui and Justin Bridgland in 2014, is a Shanghai-based studio with offices in London.
MDO (Shanghai) focuses on providing six main design services which include international real estate planning, architecture design, urban renewal, high-end private villa design, product exhibition, display, and visual design. While MDO (UK) focuses more on the design and development of high-end sustainable housing projects.
The MDO Office
“MDO is dedicated to exploring the relationship between space and scale, proportion, details, materials, light & shadow, and colors. We want to create a special journey for different spaces.”
MDO joined BuildMost platform in March 2023. This is the story of MDO.
Q: What is it like to found MDO and what would you say is the style of MDO?
We arrived in Shanghai with just two pieces of luggage, today, we are a design studio with more than 60 employees. We have since had two children together and a dog now.
In a project, we would really focus on the integrity of a design and the relation between design and objects (from landscape, architecture to interior). To start with space, we can build a narrative. Ultimately it all comes down to three elements: proportion, materials, and light.
Justin will be more focused on managing the details in a space and dedicate himself to finding the solution to land concepts with craftsmanship. While I will be focused more on grasping the emotional response in a space.
Q: How did you join BuildMost?
We hope to show what MDO has accomplished in fields like real estate, hospitality, private villas, and commercial projects. We also hope through platforms like BuildMost, we can know more about people’s actual requirements. With a platform like BuildMost, we can test our design service, and in return, optimize our design services to reach more clients.
Q: MDO has a somewhat wide business scope. How does MDO approach clients and manage a project?
We have documents that are great for first-time clients to understand MDO, which include MDO’s introduction, design period, and suggestions for design services. We would also prepare design works that are client-specific.
We often discuss styles and designs to approach a project. Some design studios might have a certain, clear way to design. But due to the width of the project types we take on: from high-end villas to yacht clubs, interactive theaters, country hostels, to commercial projects like real estate, we are more focused on how to design for a specific project. We would do surveys, and then based on this information, we would come up with a pertinent plan and design.
Q: MDO has successfully managed a lot of projects and won awards. How did MDO ensure the quality of each project?
MDO is involved in many crossover projects and different design services. So for our work, it is crucial that we manage our projects well and complete the project as a team.
Interestingly, during this process, we discovered that past projects can provide new information for a newer project, just like a simple product can inspire a whole new architecture, and vice versa. So being open to new ideas is also the key.
Q: What will the future be like for MDO?
To recall the fight against the pandemic, 2022 is a challenging time for us, our work and life have since changed tremendously. “Reactions”, “challenges”, and “recreations” are the new norm for MDO.
We are lucky that we have a strong, diverse, and ever-energetic team. Thanks to the support and trust of our clients, we were able to stay calm and confident in the face of challenging times.
In 2022, MDO’s design works were published in 9 international magazines and widely reported by over a hundred domestic and international media. We also won 13 international design awards. This hugely encourages MDO.
2023 is a special year for MDO. We are doing more projects in different fields, asking ourselves what is the relation between architecture and interior and trying to work from different perspectives. We have grown from architects and musicians to investors.
Some of our projects are themed on sustainability and renewal of the city. I think this will be the priority for MDO in the future. We’ll try to strike a balance between the future and the existing environment. At the same time, we will continue to develop high-end sustainable housing projects in the UK.
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