Shirley Shen

Shirley Shen is a Chinese–Canadian AIBC certified architect registered in Washington State. She currently works in Vancouver, British Columbia where she is the creative director and co-founder of Haeccity Architecture Studio.

Early life Shen was born in Richmond, BC. Throughout her life she has lived in Canada, China, Taiwan and the United States. From 1993 to 2000 Shen lived in Hong Kong, where she attended King George V High School (KGV). Shen speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin. At the age of 17 she tried to intern for I.M Pei, but he didn't have an office in Hong Kong, so she worked for two weeks at Sherman Kung & Associates (another partner who worked on the tower). Shen's Masters thesis at MIT, in Boston, addressed cultural relativity in architecture. She was interested in looking into how architecture could be used as a site for cultural exchange, as well as how it could express cultural context.

Haeccity Studio is known for their community engagement and tries to approach each design challenge holistically, focusing on the intersection between architecture, environment, community and culture. The studio focused on the topic of "Missing Middle Housing" in Vancouver. Shen and Haeccity Studio won both the Grand Prize and Planner's Prize for their Micro-Op Concept. Their project titled "Mainspring: Our Place to Recharge” was focused on densified neighbourhoods and more sustainable modes of transportation. They were one of ten contributors, from across Canada, for the “Not for Sale!" exhibition by Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA).

Notable works include Curio House and Missing Middle Infill Housing. Both are located in Vancouver, BC.