Dong Mei

Dong Mei (东梅) is a Chinese architect and the co-founder and director of the firm, BCKJ (Biechu Kongjian Architects). She is well-known for both her design work and her contribution to academic research. In 2020, Dong Mei and her husband gained international recognition from the 2020 Royal Academy Dorfman Award.

Early life and education Dong Mei was born in China in 1967. She was accepted into the Department of Architecture at Southeast University (SEU) in 1985 and graduated in 1989 with a degree in architecture. After her time in post-secondary, she began work at the Beijing Residential Architectural Design Institute as a junior engineer and then later being prompted to a senior engineer position.

Career and achievements

BCKJ Architects Dong Mei co-founded BCKJ Architects (Biechu Kongjian Architects) with her husband, Liu Xiaochuan in 2004. As a team, both Dong Mei and Liu Xiaochuan have gained recognition through the Royal Academy Dorfman Award, which they received in 2020.

Sustainability Dong Mei is driven by the ethos of “symbiosis with the environment” and creates work that is recognized by the jury chair of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award as work that focuses on community, cultural heritage, and nature. – concepts drawn from passive housing principles.

Other achievements

Patents received in China January 2015 – Patent for “Ecological toilet”; patent publication number: CN204081558U January 2015 – Patent for "Rainwater collection gravity toilet flushing device"; patent publication number: CN204080921U

Major works

Clove Valley ECO-Hotel (2019) A hotel complex designed prioritizing nature by leaving minimal impact and disruption through the consideration of habitat preservation and making space for natural processes such as rainwater movement and vegetation growth. The buildings are made of lightweight material and incorporates sustainable building technologies such biomass and solar energy, cross ventilation, passive thermal insulation, and waste water treatment.

Badaling Forest Experience Center (2014) Designed with respect to nature, the project encompasses the human as a part of nature and blends the built form into the environment. The project considers factors of lightweight and recyclable materials, space for habitat growth and preservation, and green building principles such as sufficient thermal insulation and solar energy. Clove Valley ECO-Hotel (丁香谷生态酒店), Yangqing District, China (2019) Bookstore in the Forest (青龙谷书吧), Beijing, China (2018) Home in the forest (森林之家), Beijing, China (2018) Badaling Forest Experience Hall (八达岭森林体验馆), Yanqing, Beijing (2014) Public Classroom Building of Peking University (Second Classroom Building) (北京大学公共教室楼 (北大二教)), Beijing, China (2007) Renovation of Yuyuantan Office (玉渊潭办公室改造), Beijing, China (2003) Peking University Nongyuan Canteen (北大农园食堂), Beijing, China (2002)

Awards 2020 – The Royal Academy Dorfman Award, London, UK