Name William Lim
Job Managing director, CL3 Architects
When did you first become interested in architecture?
It was pretty much my father who suggested architecture as a career because I liked to draw. People's understanding of architecture was simplistic back then. I've always found the visual aspect interesting, like stage-setting or movies. I looked into the courses in design and architecture and they suited my thinking process. I'm not so much of a reading or writing type - I like to think of things in three dimensions.
What was your experience once you started studying?
When I started university, I took it easy and had a lot of good times. Obviously my grades for the first semester were not good at all. Slowly I realised that people were working in the studio after hours - it's not like you take off after school and you go party. I learned that the hard way. I started to put in more time. You pretty much jump into cold water and try to swim as hard as possible. A lot of people enjoy working all night and watching the sun rise in the studio, but I'm not like that. I really plan my time so I can always manage to get some sleep.
You studied at Cornell in the United States, and after graduating you worked in Boston. Was there ever a choice between staying in the US or coming back to Hong Kong?