Yan (‘Liam’) Li, 30
Associate at HLW
Four years ago, when Liam Li joined HLW, the licensed architect was assigned a high-profile project, overseeing the buildout for a hedge fund’s new 22-story offices in New York.
The client was demanding, to say the least. The firm’s executives wanted marble kitchen islands from Italy for each of the office’s 22 floors. For the doors to the cafeteria, they also wanted to add a device to track how many people were inside.
“It felt more like building a museum than an office,” Li said. “Everything was either handmade or custom designed,” which made last-minute changes difficult.
There were many such changes. Just a few months into the project, COVID-19 began to spread. It forced companies, including Li’s client, to rethink their office. But, finally, this year, the project is coming to fruition as the office is set to be completed by the end of 2023.
“I’m very lucky that I can work on such high-profile projects in my early stage of career,” he said.
Another highlight for Li was rising through the ranks and getting more responsibility.
“When I first got into the firm, I was helping the senior people,” he said. “After several years, I started to be responsible for the scope of the project. I’m really proud of that growth.”
The architect has also made strides outside of HLW. Over the past year, he began submitting questions for New York’s architect registration examination, a required test to become a licensed architect. “I hope to continue mentoring and help the next generation of architects, Li said.”
