Event Description
In an era where CGI-driven visualization tools and remote working dominate architectural workflows, design outcomes are increasingly shaped by image production rather than lived experience. This shift has contributed to a growing sameness in the built environment, where buildings across regions share similar forms and materials, often disconnected from the specific qualities of place, with implications for occupant health, safety, and welfare.
This session reframes architecture through the lens of place - its climate, culture, materiality, and human patterns of use. Through case studies and comparative analysis, participants will explore how over-reliance on digital imagery can diminish sensitivity to site and context, impacting environmental performance, occupant comfort, and the overall quality of the built environment.
The program introduces practical strategies for integrating sensory perception, local conditions, and experiential knowledge into the design process. By rediscovering the importance of place, architects can create environments that are more responsive, meaningful, and supportive of human well-being.
Intended for architects and designers at all levels, this session provides a framework for balancing digital tools with context-driven design approaches to produce architecture that is both visually compelling and grounded in the realities of place.
CES: Estimated 1 LU/HSW for AIA Members
Speaker
Gregory Yager, FAIA, Founder, GW Design Consultant Group
Moderator
Chris Chan, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Chapter Representative, AIA Shanghai; Moore Ruble Yudell Principal
Speaker Bio
Gregory A. Yager, FAIA is an architect, urban designer, and educator with more than four decades of international experience shaping cities, districts, and communities across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His work focuses on the integration of architecture, urban design, landscape, and cultural context to create places that are contemporary while deeply rooted in local identity.
Over the course of his career, Yager has held senior leadership roles with global design firms including RTKL Associates and later Arcadis, where he served as Vice President and Senior Vice President leading multidisciplinary teams on complex mixed-use, waterfront, and urban redevelopment projects. While based in Shanghai, he directed numerous planning and urban design initiatives throughout China and across Asia, collaborating with public agencies, developers, and international institutions on projects ranging from new urban districts to historic urban revitalization.
Yager’s work is grounded in the belief that meaningful urban places emerge from a deep understanding of culture, history, landscape, and human experience. His approach emphasizes walkable urban environments, layered public spaces, and architecture that reflects the character and traditions of its setting.
In addition to professional practice, Yager has been active in architectural education. He has taught design studios and seminars at Kansas State University, including the university’s international program in Orvieto, Italy, and on the Manhattan, Kansas campus, focusing on contextual design and the cultural foundations of place-making.
A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Yager currently leads GW Design Consultant Group LLC, working with public and private partners on community development initiatives, rural revitalization strategies, and integrated plan-design-build projects in the United States and internationally.
Moderator Bio
Christopher Chan brings over thirty years of experience in design, technical execution, and management, leading the development of landmark mixed-use, retail, office, hospitality, and higher education projects across Asia and the United States. Highly collaborative, he grounds his work in design research and technical integration to deliver high-performance urban design, architecture, and interior projects. He has worked with several globally recognized firms and is currently Principal at Moore Ruble Yudell, where he oversees the Shanghai office and Asia operations.
In addition to his professional practice, Christopher has been an active contributor to the architectural community. He was a founding member of the establishment committee for the AIA Shanghai Chapter, helping secure both WOFE registration and the chapter charter in 2015. In 2017, he served as the chapter’s second president and was the first to expand programming across the full year. During his tenure, he tripled membership and introduced a new approach to sponsorship engagement. That same year, the chapter delivered over 60 LUs. In 2019, he was appointed Co-Chair of the chapter’s inaugural China Conference in partnership with AIA International. Currently, Christopher serves as Chairman of the AIA Shanghai Board of Directors, overseeing the chapter’s NGO registration process.
He has been a Registered Architect in the State of California since 1995 and became a LEED Accredited Professional through the U.S. Green Building Council in 2005.
