James Cheng

James K.M. Cheng is a Canadian architect recognized for his pioneering contributions to west coast architecture and city building. Born in Hong Kong and educated in North America, Cheng’s approach represents a sensitive marriage of generous open environments with vibrant high-density living. He is a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, and a design critic and juror.

Cheng launched his architectural career working for Fred Bassetti and Mithun Partners while earning his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. A condominium project he designed during this time captured the attention of Architectural Record Magazine (“Young Architects” 1972 and “Record House” 1974) and garnered awards from AIA Seattle as well as the national AIA “Homes for Better Living” program. Cheng went on to apprentice with Henrik Bull in San Francisco, and then for three years with Arthur Erickson in Vancouver, before studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Design under Richard Meier.

Cheng established James K.M. Cheng Architects Inc. in 1978 after winning a collaborative entry with Romses Kwan & Associates to build the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Since its inception, the firm has been presciently focused on designing high-density urban environments around nuanced open spaces that foster social interchange. Cheng plays a leading role in the widely studied and emulated form of urban development known as Vancouverism. The firm continues to evolve concepts of livability and sustainability at various scales – most recently at the community planning level throughout the Greater Vancouver region, in China, and in Hawaii.

Cheng has received over forty-five design awards, including Order of Canada, our country’s highest honour for lifetime achievement, from the Governor General office of Canada, Canada’s Governor General’s Medal in Architecture. His work has been published and exhibited in Canada, the United States, London, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.