Wei Dong, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in Design Studies, specializes in design visualization and Asian design. Design visualization refers to the use of both manual and digital media to visualize buildings and their associated interior and exterior spaces. Several methods and applications are included in design visualization such as animation, modeling and simulation, and image generation and manipulation. Professor Dong is increasingly recognized as a leader in the integration of digital media into the environmental design process to stimulate creativity and improve visualization skills. He has published two books on the subject and he is beginning work on a third book. In addition, his work combining manual rendering and computer graphics has been included in books by others on rendering. His work has also been presented in numerous gallery shows and presentations throughout the United States and internationally as well. He has practiced interior design in both the United States and China, and has won several design awards in international IDEC competitions.
Professor Dong has published three books, three more and a documentary film in progress, twelve blind reviewed exhibitions and nine national solo exhibitions, awarded seven national and international design/art competitions and over fifty national and international conferences and workshops. Two of his books have become standards for design visualization courses, and the first has been translated into Spanish, Korean and Chinese. He is the recipient of three Professorships, Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Emily Mead Baldwin-Bascom Professorship and Vilas Associate Professor Award, in addition to many research grants.
His background in theory and practice of visualization and communication and his depth of knowledge of China and its culture, and his commitment to sustainability, particularly with regard to preserving its traditional architecture and the Feng Shui philosophy and principles behind it, earned him a place as consultant to world-renowned architect and expert in sustainability, William McDonough as well as many projects around the world.
Professor Dong has seamlessly integrated his research, creative work, service, and teaching. Through his classes, books, presentations, workshops, leadership, and consulting he has enriched learning by students, design educators, and design practitioners within the Design Studies Department, across the UW, and throughout the United States as well as internationally. Evidence of his teaching excellence includes:
- membership in the UW Teaching Academy;
- national and international awards earned by 16 of his students;
- extensive juried presentations given at the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) international conferences;
- numerous invitations for presentations and workshops at universities across the U.S., in Asia and the Middle East;
- exceptional evaluations by students
Because of his commitment to teaching excellence and his expertise in this area, he has served on the Board of Visitors of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), the premier accrediting agency for design programs in North America. Additionally he was the former Chair of International Reviews and Advisory Committee selected by the Higher Education Commission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up standards for design education.
DS 320: Sketching and RenderingDS 323: CAD-Architecture and Interiors
DS 633:Design Visualization: Interior and Architecture
DS 501: Chinese Brush Painting : Though and Application
DS 501 : Western Green Design and Chinese Feng Shui Culture
Graduate Student Research Topics
The general foci of research conducted by Wei’s advisees are: design visualization and application. Past MS thesis titles include:
Beyond the Low-Hanging: Future Direction for Digital in Design
Design Visualization for Historical Interiors
Punctuation Space: A Space to Enhance Visitors’ Experience in Art Museums
Virtual Classroom: A Prototype for Defining the Worldwide Web as a Meaningful Place