In 2005, architects Jianxiang He and Ying Jiang were working on the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, a project by the Chinese-government-run CITIC ADI and its design partner, Belgian firm BURO II. At the time, He was the chief architect for CITIC ADI in South China and Jiang was working for BURO II. While the enormous project taught the two architects much about design, construction, and even their own society, they were left “feeling disappointed about the situation,” says Jiang, specifically about issues relating to “speed, quality, quantity, and powerful clients.” She adds: “Very few people care about the quality and cultural value of architecture. That’s really sad for us.”

So, He, 43 years old, and Jiang, 39, who are married, decided to open an independent studio in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and find private clients—no small feat, considering that so many projects in China are sponsored by the government. But the architects have developed a steady stream of work that allows them to tackle some of the most pressing problems facing their region, from its abandoned industrial sites to the lack of affordable housing to a skyline thick with anonymous skyscrapers.