Lydia joined ZHA in 2010, initially based in the Beijing office, where she contributed to projects such as Galaxy SOHO and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Returning to London in 2012, she took on the leadership of several major projects, including the recently completed Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre. She leads and structures her teams to address each project’s unique challenges, while maintaining a consistent focus on the design intent and ensuring precise execution and alignment with the overall objectives.

Prior to joining ZHA, Lydia worked at the London office of Kohn Ped­erson Fox (KPF) from 2003 to 2010, where she worked on the Abu Dhabi International Airport New Midfield Terminal.

Lydia completed a Diplom-Ingenieur Interior Architecture at the Peter Behrens School of Architecture in Düsseldorf and a BA Honours in Interior Spatial Design at the Chelsea College of Arts (UAL) in London. After graduation, she studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the Texas A&M University in the US. She earned her Master of Architecture and Urbanism degree from the Design Research Laboratory (DRL) at the Architectural Association (AA) in London. She has since taught at the AA Visiting School in Shanghai and Beijing and regularly serves as a jury member at final reviews in universities worldwide.

Lydia’s international background — Korean, raised in Germany — and experiences enable her to connect with both Eastern and Western cultures. This perspective allows her to relate to people from diverse backgrounds and effectively bridge cultural differences.