Chifu Kou
architect
Chifu@SantulanArch.com
Chifu grew up in Macau and earned his Bachelor of Science of Architecture at the National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan. He moved to the US to attend UC Denver where he acquired his Master of Architecture. A licensed Architect, he has many years of experience in a wide variety of projects, such as commercial, educational, medical, recreational, and residential. At Santulan Chifu is responsible for providing support and technical delivery of projects with a thorough & thoughtful approach. He has a keen eye for design and is known for his excellent problem-solving skills.
Outside the office Chifu spends much of his time with his family, in the garden, outdoors, or enjoying different sports
Get to know chifu
What is the most interesting place you have visited?
Beijing, but to be more specific, it’s the Forbidden City that I haven’t yet been able to forget. Right after I graduated from high school, I had a chance to travel to Beijing with some friends. Somewhere close to the city, right before we landed in the airport, all I could see was the well-organized city grids and the very straight but miles-long streets that extended from one end to all the way out of my sight. They were just shockingly straight, and looked like someone worked from above with a ruler to draw those lines on the ground. They were in sharp contrast to nature. I was amazed to see how the collective ideas and efforts of humans could be achieved at such a vast scale.
Who is your professional role model? Why?
Renzo Piano is my favorite architect. I find that the way he approaches design and experiments with his projects is always interesting and amazing, and the solutions are always surprising but satisfying. His designs are not normally set in one tone or a certain style, and every project has its uniqueness, stands out from its surroundings, and is different from others while remaining self-controlled and balanced. His buildings also employ a lot of technology, but never forget the users while creating a great sense of space.
Describe your personality in ten hashtags. What personality trait do you most attribute your success, and why?
#Insightful #Persistent #Responsible #Adventurous #Curious #Flexible #Rational #Calm #Easy Going #Fun. I believe in persistence, never giving up is the key!
What is your favorite sport?
I enjoy many kinds of sports, it’s hard to just name one. I like basketball, badminton, ping pong, tennis, soccer, skiing, standup paddle board, and, lately, pickle ball. I enjoy them all equally!