Consulting Collaborator
Born and raised in Singapore, renowned as the Garden City. Shao’s formative years were shaped by the experience of inhabiting mass housing in the modern typology of sameness. This ignited her curiosity on the importance of how indoor spaces, intertwined with natural outdoor spaces can shape mood, behavior, and overall well-being, leading her to pursue architecture at the National University of Singapore. With a Master’s Degree in Architecture, she relocated to Los Angeles where she expanded her architectural perspective by working within a contrasting urban landscape, one defined by its horizontal sprawl, cultural layering, and unique relationship with scale and space in the Pacific climate.
Shao is passionate about creating spaces that are intentional, elegant, and timeless. At Offenhauser Mekeel Architects, she was part of a multidisciplinary team engaged in the design of high end residential and cultural institutions. Her tenure at the firm refined her ability to navigate the complexities of programmatic requirements, technical constraints, and client aspirations, most notably in projects for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Her time at Yu2e expanded her engagement with diverse project typologies, including hospitality, small-scale mixed-use developments, and residential architecture. There, she honed a nuanced understanding of housing typologies, from accessory dwelling units to large multi-family dwellings, approaching each project as an exploration in materiality, light and space.
In her independent practice, Shao is recognized for fostering a deeply collaborative process with her clients. Her design approach is rooted in empathy and dialogue, allowing her to craft architectural responses that are tailored, contextually aware, and emotionally resonant. Each project becomes a narrative, bridging the client’s lived experience with spatial solutions that are both pragmatic and poetic.
Now based back in Singapore with her family, Shao applies the same design ethos and process to residential projects. Architecture is not just about buildings, it’s about shaping the environments in which lives unfold.
