Lu Hongyan

co-founder and creative soul of Faith Studio, oversees the studio’s design direction and leads project delivery. She explores the subtle interactions between plants, space and people, drawing on a nature-inspired design language to create distinctive, vibrant outdoor spaces tailored to each client. With an international background and solid experience within a leading firm, she holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Newcastle University (UK). She then worked at AECOM’s Shanghai office, a global leader in the field, contributing to complex projects across a range of scales and programs, from major landscaped public spaces to more discreet office and commercial developments. This experience enabled her to master the full process, from concept to completion, with particular expertise in shaping landscapes and designing sensitive, experiential sequences. In 2019, she founded Faith Studio, combining an international outlook with a practice rooted in the local context, and offering end-to-end, bespoke services for high-end private gardens. As both designer and project manager, she personally guides her team through every stage — site analysis, design intent and planning, construction, planting and finishing touches — to ensure the built result remains faithful to the initial ambition. Her projects include several carefully delivered gardens, notably the Shanghai Riverside Rooftop Garden and the Sheshan Dongjun Garden. She believes a garden is a place of dialogue between people and nature. For her, a project’s completion marks the start of its story: it calls for ongoing attention, patient observation, an awareness of the seasons, and an understanding of the lasting imprint it leaves on those who move through it.