Founding partner and leading architect at MQ Studio, Andy Hall received his architecture education from Westminster University in London, England. After working in a number of countries including the UK, Japan and Germany he finally settled in Shanghai in 1997 as the Chief Designer in an international gallery developing luxury ‘one-off’ and limited edition product and furniture ranges. In 2003, he co-founded Railpartners, a privately owned and funded company dedicated to the development of China’s first luxury tour train, as Design Director. In spring 2006, he established MQ Studio with Yijay Xu.
From lifestyle resorts, restaurant and bars to private residences, from original artwork to product design, Andy’s portfolio is filled with a range of projects from the extra small to the abnormally large; however, there is a consistent feature that runs through all of his work – each project is a cohesion of narrative and functional form, the coalescing of the whimsical and the utilitarian. The works all have strong points of view that reach out and draw viewers in, telling them a story and, through their physical presence, unconsciously giving the viewer something memorable.
COMPANY PROFILE
MQ Studio was founded in 2006. We are an interdisciplinary, boutique architecture practice which has naturally made Shanghai our home. MQ specializes in luxury transportation, hospitality, and residential and retail projects all over the world with a focus in China and the Asia Pacific region.
DESIGN STATEMENT
MQ Studio pursues a fascination for the unique and fresh. That’s why we do not work to any particular formulaic style. Instead through rigorous research and probing into the specifics of the project, we Endeavour to create an enriched architecture that has an intimate connection to the site and its function via the associated stories or narratives.
We believe that high quality design can only be reached through an integrated dialogue and synthesis with the client, consultants, contractor and the end-user at all stages of the design and construction process to fully maximize the potential of the final product.