Culture of Collaboration: SOM Chicago's Xuan Fu on Growing Your Network and Setting Others Up for Success
Xuan portrait, by Dave Burk, courtesy of SOM.
By Julia Gamolina
A native of Beijing turned longtime Chicagoan, Xuan leverages her profound knowledge of China’s business landscape to lead SOM’s practice in the country. Xuan combines her unique insight into China’s building industry with an aptitude for realizing highly complex, ambitious, and unprecedented projects. She is known as a trailblazer with a tenacious approach to seeing her projects through. Xuan joined SOM in 1994, first as a technical designer, and later transitioned to project management, following her natural ability to understand and translate client needs into built work.
She believes that architects have a social, environmental, and economic responsibility to design sustainable work with enduring value. Her portfolio speaks to these values: Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai—China’s first skyscraper and the tallest building in the country for nearly a decade—provided a new model for urban life, made possible through a unique collaboration with civic officials. In Xiong’an, as part of an initiative led by China’s federal government, SOM is designing a transit-oriented sustainable model city to provide for the country’s rapid urbanization for decades to come. Xuan has also worked in London, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, and beyond. Xuan serves as an advisor to SOM’s Asian Alliance and Women’s Initiative groups. She was featured in ‘Women Take Charge at SOM,’ a profile on the firm’s first-ever all-female leadership team in Architectural Record in 2020. Xuan serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
In her interview, Xuan talks about her impact globally through her work and mentoring the next generation, advising those just starting their careers to work hard and believe in yourself.
JG: How did you grow up, and how did your interest in architecture first develop? What did you learn about yourself in studying it?
XF: I grew up in Beijing and architecture was always a big family interest; my father is an architect and art historian, and my sister is an architect. Growing up, I always loved landscapes, furniture, gardens and buildings.
When I was young, every Sunday a group of us kids would go to the house of one of Beijing’s famous painters to learn how to paint. This training was a great foundation for when I applied to architecture school in China, where a three-hour painting exam determined whether I would study architecture or engineering.
I enjoyed my architecture classes more than any other subjects because I had the opportunity to express myself through design, painting and models. My own imagination became the limitation, not a series of facts or figures in a book. In studying architecture, I learned to communicate through design, and discovered new ways of understanding and connecting with the world.
Around the time that I was graduating and starting my first job, China was beginning to open up to the Western world and I suddenly saw movies and books about Modern art and architecture. I was inspired and wanted to learn more and get involved, so I decided to move to the United States to do my master’s degree in architecture at Ball State University in Indiana.
Kunming Wujiaba Masterplan, courtesy of SOM.
Jin Mao Tower, photography by Tim Griffith.
How did you get your start in the field?
After completing my bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1986, I started working for the Beijing Institute of Architecture Design & Research on the Beijing Asian Games Village project before moving to the US for graduate school. While I was studying at Ball State University, I interned at SOM’s Chicago studio during the summer of 1990.
After receiving my master’s degree, I worked for a six-person firm, Youngman & Company, where I learned about the different responsibilities of an architect in each phase of the design process. I later took a position at VOA Architects, now Stantec, and spent two years working on various interior design projects. In 1994 I returned to SOM as a technical architect, working on many complex projects, from skyscrapers to master plans.
Tell me about your years with SOM.
The first project I worked on at SOM was also one of the most important: Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. As China’s first skyscraper, it paved the way for international design firms like SOM to work in China, and most importantly, gave us an opportunity to work with local officials and design institutes to help them expand and modernize building codes to accommodate new building types.
Over the course of almost three decades at SOM, I’ve been fortunate to work on many iconic buildings and transformative urban design projects around the world, from London to Korea and Russia. Later, when China’s economy started to boom, I began to focus more exclusively on projects in the region. Jin Mao opened the door for me to ultimately become a leader in the firm’s China practice, where I was able to leverage my expertise and knowledge of the Chinese culture, business, and design landscape.
“As a part of being a Partner, one of the most important responsibilities is learning how to share what you have learned and set others up for success, allowing the next generation to grow and shine in their own way.”
In the early 2000s, I moved into project management, ultimately becoming a Managing Partner in 2013. As a Partner, you’re responsible for much more beyond project management and SOM’s operations. For me, I’ve always focused on building a strong culture of collaboration within the firm, bringing more women into leadership roles, and mentoring emerging talents.
In 2019, I was elected to SOM’s Executive Committee, joining my fellow partners Carrie Byles and Laura Ettelman, in global co-leadership of the firm on behalf of all of our partners. Our role has become even more vital throughout the pandemic — we’re responsible for navigating the firm through this extremely challenging period.
Where are you in your career today? What does success mean to you?
When I first arrived in the US with two suitcases, knowing very little English, I never imagined that one day I would be a Partner at a firm like SOM. What I find to be the most amazing part of this country is that you can make your dreams come true. Sure, it is competitive, but if you work hard, you have the opportunity to succeed. Hard work matters and is usually rewarded.
As my career has developed, I’ve been able to grow my network of mentors, clients, colleagues, and consultants, giving me the opportunity to learn from an ever expanding pool of experts. As a part of being a Partner, one of the most important responsibilities is learning how to share what you have learned and set others up for success, allowing the next generation to grow and shine in their own way.
Xuan in the SOM office 2021, photography by Dave Burk.
Xuan in the SOM office in 2014, photography by M Cody Pickens Photography.
Xuan with colleagues at Jin Mao's 20th Anniversary Celebration, courtesy of SOM.
Because of my unique international experience at SOM, I have been able to serve as a bridge between our practice and the world. In recent years, I have been fortunate to work with many talented teams that have built projects globally, and our clients have provided us with opportunities to design some of the most technically and architecturally challenging projects in the world.
Success for me is very simple; life gives us all a chance to serve other people and improve the way we live. Working in the design industry has given me even more opportunities to make a positive impact on how people live and the future of our environment.
Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you manage through a disappointment or a perceived setback?
One of the biggest challenges was when I first arrived in the US for college and I knew very little English. Luckily, architecture as a discipline has many different ways of conveying a message or an emotion beyond language. You can do it through drawing, paintings, models, music or light.
“...no project is too small or too unimportant for us to do, there is an opportunity to learn and grow in all cases.”
Who are you admiring right now and why?
That’s a difficult choice. If I had to pick just one person at this point, it would be Andrea Bocelli, the Italian opera singer. I found his “Music for Hope” concert very inspirational. He held this concert during the hardest of times while COVID-19 was spreading across Europe and the rest of the world. He stood in an empty cathedral square in Milan, which is typically crowded with people from all over the world, and he used his music to start healing the wounds of many families and put hope in everyone's heart. One day I hope I can attend one of his concerts to celebrate the end of this pandemic. Music, art and architecture are all interconnected—as a designer, I find inspiration across these disciplines.
Courtesy of Xuan Fu.
Courtesy of Xuan Fu.
What is the impact you’d like to have in the world? What is your core mission?
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. As architects, we must come together and share our best ideas as to how we can preserve nature and reduce human impact on our environment. Recently, I worked on a master plan in Kunming, China that converted a decommissioned 10 square kilometer airport right in the heart of the city into a thriving park. There were also many canals through the site that were of poor water quality and ran off into an adjacent lake. By designing this large park — equivalent to the size of New York City’s Central Park — taking into account the many environmental systems at play, we were able to increase the ecological value of a park and create tremendous economic potential for the surrounding city. The idea of the park was to look beyond the site boundaries and examine the city in its entirety.
Mentoring the next generation of designers is also incredibly important to me. I would like to share a Chinese proverb “前人栽树，后人乘凉” which means, “The first generation plants the tree, and the second generation enjoys the shade.” In other words, it’s my responsibility — and my passion — to pass on the lessons I have learned. Early in my career, I was often the only woman in the room. Since then, there has been a lot of positive change, but I know how important it is to have mentors and advocates you can relate to as you progress in your career. It’s so critical that all young architects see people who look like them in leadership positions. It makes your goals more tangible and gives you something to strive for.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
I was raised with the idea of respecting all people equally, no matter their gender, religion or race, so I have the same advice for all young people entering the profession: no project is too small or too unimportant for us to do, there is an opportunity to learn and grow in all cases. Work hard, believe in yourself, and discover what the right balance between your career and your life means to you.