Zhi Yu Lee

Email Address

I am an interior architecture student graduating from Swinburne University of Technology. With hands-on experience in residential projects, I’ve also developed a strong passion for public design where thoughtful spatial planning can enhance daily experiences and foster a sense of connection. My design approach focuses on creating environments that balance functionality and emotion, using design as a tool to improve comfort, interaction, and well-being.

CAPSTONE - THE "SENSORY BRIDGE"

An inclusive primary school that fosters social interaction between
neurodiverse & neurotypical children by integrating multi-sensory elements
and flexible learning zones to provide equal support to every child.

CAPSTONE - INTERACTIVE PLAY ZONE

Students are challenged by different equipment such as the climbing hills at the center, the tactile wall and sensory wall where there is different material and texture to stimulate the children through touch, colour and sound.

CAPSTONE - SENSORY QUEIT ROOM

The sensory quiet room accommodates both high and low-stimulus needs for the neurodiverse children with flexibility control, like adjustable lighting to avoid overstimulating, movable furniture like bean bags, and seating with soft materials to absorb sound.

CAPSTONE - CENTRAL VOID

Bringing greenery into the interior to create a sense of calm and connection to nature, while natural sunlight filters through the central void to brighten up the space. Colour is used thoughtfully as a visual wayfinding tool, helping neurodiverse children navigate to different classrooms.

STUDIO 4 - MUSUEM OF THE HANDMADE

This project is a museum located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, inspired by the traditional Wau Bulan moon kite. The design aims to celebrate Malaysian culture and heritage through its form and materials. Using clay, timber, and glass, the building expresses lightness and craftsmanship while connecting people to the nation’s identity. The museum serves as a public cultural hub, combining traditional inspiration with modern sustainable design to create a meaningful architectural landmark.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.