MODERN MEN Through their Shanghai-based DESFA Group, the Wang brothers bring a distinctive aesthetic to architecture and design—BY CATHERINE NEWMAN Did Howard Wang ’99 and Ben Wang ’01 always know they were going to end up in business together, even back in their Williston days? Um, no. The brothers, who were born in Taiwan, moved to Los Angeles for middle school before, ultimately, coming to Williston. “We played basketball and tennis together,” Ben concedes, but that was about the extent of their collaboration. Now they’re the collective genius behind DESFA Group Inc., an international architecture design firm based in Shanghai. Howard, who took an architectural drawing class at Williston before studying
architecture at Syracuse University, co-founded the company with fellow architect Michael Dungca in 2010. Ben, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in general management and economics, joined as general manager in 2012. The firm is thriving and they love everything about Shanghai, which they describe as “the New York City of Asia.” Thanks to the city’s happening and diverse frontier vibe, they find inspiration everywhere for their work. They offered us a little tour through some of their favorite projects.
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