J A C K  (J I A N G H U I)     Q U     渠江辉

2022 BFA in Interior Design, Cal State Long Beach; 2025 M.Arch, USC; LEED Green Associate; Student IIDA

“Live like an architect and work like a carpenter.”

On the first day of graduate school, my professor, Alvin Huang, told us the most significant difference between a career in architecture and others is that we live as architects for every minute of our lives. I was freaked out, but after two and a half years in architecture, I understood what he meant and believed that is what I enjoy. I began to notice that I started to pay attention to each building around me, visit the good projects when I traveled, and slow down to observe the street life. Architects create experiences for people, either the daily joys or the once-in-a-life touching moments. Experiencing life like an architect allows me to do that. 

Working like a carpenter. Just as a carpenter carefully measures, optimizes, refines, and assembles each piece to create, I bring the same diligence and technical focus to my project. To get our ideas grounded, we need to figure out complex things. So I approach architecture with the mindset of a skilled carpenter—rooted in problem-solving, precision, and a focus on the practical application of ideas. The word "architect" comes from the ancient Greek word for “master (arkhi) builder (tekton)", it is necessary to look back and inherit some good qualities from that.