I started a design studio in Shanghai in 2010. China was fast growing at the time. I was trying to catch the tail of the building boom. Since I am a US citizen, my studio can only take schematic/conceptual design jobs. We had to associate with a local design institute(LDI) and let them carry the project through the design development and construction drawing phase. There were many foreign firms like mine in Shanghai. Large or small, we all have to bond with an LDI. The schematic design phase is the most creative and fun part of the entire architectural design process. You get to make up something out of the…