Quick Facts
Biography
Tszwai So (Chinese: 蘇子葳) is a British-Chinese architect. He is best known for his Belarusian Memorial Chapel, which is the first wooden church built in London since the Great Fire in 1666.
Biography
So grew up in British Hong Kong. He studied architecture at the University of Hong Kong, graduating in 2003 as the recipient of Ho Fook Prize in Architecture.
He later moved to the United Kingdom and studied for a master’s degree in Building History at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.
In 2011, he co-founded Spheron Architects with Samuel Bentil-Mensah, based in London and Accra.
Awards and recognition
Tszwai So and the practice have been nominated for and won numerous awards, their clients include Birkbeck College, Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, Holy See of Rome, Queen Mary University of London, RIBA Journal and Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames.
So was named a rising star in British Architecture by the RIBA Journal on 31 October 2016, on the merits of his three projects: Remembering Chernobyl Exhibition, Urban Hermitage and Belarusian Memorial Chapel. He was named the best UK young architect under the age of 40 in 2017 by the American Institute of Architects.
So is also a trustee of Heritage Trust Network, a nationwide charity which helps saving the built heritage of the UK, jointly funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, the Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic England, National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw, Pilgrim Trust and the Headley Trust. He is an authority on Belarusian Wooden Church Heritage and Victorian architecture by George Truefitt, and has published papers on both subjects in the RIBA Journal.