The Xi Bridge (the Bridge of Happiness) is a newly added signature structure in Huashan Greenland, Shanghai. It lightly spans a stream and nestles within the trees. Serving both as the accessible route from the city street to the central lawn and as a small ceremonial space within the park, it is at once a piece of infrastructure and a place of ritual.

Initial sketches in notebooks and tracing paper, conceptual diagrams, perspectives, physical models, and massing studies capture the architectural imagination. But they represent only the beginning of the practice. The real challenge is translating ideas into buildable systems. Every wall, junction, and assembly must be resolved in detail, with systems working together in a way that allows the project to be built as intended. This is where most of the effort, complexity, and risk are concentrated, and where projects are ultimately resolved or begin to stumble.

Set within the historic district of Diriyah, widely recognized as the birthplace of the first Saudi state, the Grand Mosque by X Architects forms part of the ongoing transformation of the area into a major cultural destination in Riyadh. Envisioned within the Diriyah Gate II development, the project is positioned at the intersection of heritage preservation and large-scale urban redevelopment, contributing to a broader master plan that includes museums, civic institutions, residential neighborhoods, and public spaces. Within this context, the mosque is conceived not only as a place of worship but also as an urban anchor embedded in the evolving fabric of the district.

At the end of 2018, during a gathering in New York, director Bing Ju met artist Emily and her husband Wolf. The couple, with extensive overseas experience and a deep understanding of Eastern philosophy, instantly connected with Bing's appreciation of Asian culture. Discussing their vision for a new home marked the beginning of a six-year design journey.