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Eric Ho
Architect, Strategist, Entrepreneur, Educator passionate about cross-disciplinary innovation in urban environments
Professional Background
Eric Ho is an accomplished architect, entrepreneur, and urban thinker based in Hong Kong, where he is making significant contributions to the fields of architecture and urban design. With a profound passion for creating urban environments that resonate with societal needs, Eric has spent years developing innovative solutions that enhance community living. As the co-founder and Director of Architecture Commons, a design agency focused on urban innovation, he is at the forefront of transforming how we perceive and engage with architectural spaces.
In addition to his role at Architecture Commons, Eric has established himself as a visionary civic entrepreneur through the founding of MILES, a dynamic startup dedicated to activating urban neighborhoods by promoting pop-up entrepreneurship. MILES strives to ignite local economies and bring communities together, making a tangible impact in revitalizing urban areas. Eric’s work in these ventures has made him a sought-after thought leader in the industry, leading to numerous speaking engagements at prestigious events and institutions.
Education and Achievements
Eric Ho's academic journey in architecture has equipped him with a robust foundation in design and urban planning. He earned his Master in Architecture from Harvard University, an institution renowned for shaping some of the brightest minds in architecture and urban studies. Prior to this, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, further solidifying his expertise in this field.
His distinguished education has paved the way for an extensive career, marked by leadership positions and significant contributions to various organizations. Eric has had the privilege of serving as the Vice President for AIA Hong Kong (American Institute of Architects), where he played a vital role in advancing the architectural profession in the region. He has also actively engaged with academic institutions, holding positions such as Lecturer at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Studio Instructor at Harvard Graduate School of Design. His commitment to education and mentoring the next generation of architects underscores his passion for knowledge-sharing.
Achievements
Eric's influence and work have gained widespread recognition across various media platforms, including respected publications such as the New York Times, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Good Magazine, and PSFK. His innovative ideas and urban strategies have captivated audiences, inspiring a new generation of architects and designers.
Moreover, Eric is honored to be part of the judging committee for Harvard University's annual Dean’s Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge, where he evaluates creative proposals that aim to drive social change through culture and innovation.
In terms of entrepreneurship, Eric's startup MILES was notably selected as a start-up in residence by Urban-X, an accelerator program developed by BMW MINI aimed at supporting mobility-focused startup ventures. This recognition is a testament to his commitment to pioneering solutions that contribute to sustainable urban development.
Eric's speaking engagements at renowned panels such as the Harvard Innovation Lab, Northside Innovation, Municipal Art Society Summit, Awesome Summit, Columbia University Studio X, and TEDxDumbo showcase his influence and thought leadership in the architecture and urban innovation space. His ability to convey complex ideas in an engaging manner makes him a valuable asset to any discussion on future urban solutions.
Conclusion
With a robust portfolio that combines architectural expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to social impact, Eric Ho stands as a leader in his field. His work not only enhances urban aesthetics but also emphasizes the importance of community-focused design. As he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in architecture and urban planning, Eric is sure to leave a lasting impression on the industry and the cities we inhabit.
Highlights
It was a truly refreshing experience to explore Ho Chi Minh City with other AIA Hong Kong and AIA Shanghai members earlier this month.
From touring one of the largest furniture factories in the world, the AA Corporation Factory, to our panel discussion with over 90 attendees debating on various topics that centered on how to implement sustainability on the ground and who should take the lead in these decisions. Moderating the panels really gave me a deeper insights of how the practitioners and owners are facing current and future challenges in Vietnam and in HCMC. Our highlights of the trip also include visit to Mrs. Ngon at Tropical Space and seeing their masterful use of bricks at different scales, and the generosity of Manh from MIA Design Studio who opened his home, showing how he seamlessly blending nature, architecture and the human scale.
The openness of the discussion and the optimism and energy of the city and the range of work from emerging architects to larger scale work really gave us a lot to think about how to collaborate and explore new regions and work and the future possibilities of HCMC.
Much thanks to our speakers and special guests: Andrew Anderson-Sprecher from USDA & US Consulate HCMC Erik L’Heureux (PhD) FAIA from NUS Manh Nguyen Hoang from MIA Design Studio J Lee Rofkind FAIA, LEED AP from HOK Karl Truong from HVH Greg Ohan from the Sentry Nam Nguyen from the Accor Group Manuel Der Hagopian from G8A Triet Le from Aaaaaa Kien Hoang from Arup NGU NGON TRAN from Tropical space Francesco Nguyen Chanh Phuong from HAWA and AA Corporation
Thank you for John Chan and Vivian Tam of American Hardwood Export Council for making this possible, and also Johnny Fu and Yimei Jennifer Chan at AIA Hong Kong to explore with new format to explore different geographic regions and markets.
And thanks to many new and old friends that we met along the way, our collective learning couldn't be completed without all of your provoking thoughts, questions, and suggestions: Khiem Nguyen, MPP, Architect our AIA Vietnam country rep~! Phung NGUYEN (Zoel) Thanh-Bach Pham Thuy Phuong Do Malo DOGNIN Rachel Jahja Van Khang HUYNH Nguyen Xuan Man Florence Chan Silas Chiow Vicky Chan, AIA Rick Lam Ed Gaskin Charles Kwan Wesley Liu Shannon Ho Damian Chan, AIA Selva Ku
We hope this is the first to many that will come for all of us to understand and get to know more of the SEA and Asia Pacific region and rethink how practices can be more collaborative across the board.
#AIAHongKong #DesignExcellence #IdeaExchange #hochiminhCity #architecture #design #collaboration
Three housing estates experience last weekend; each of them right adjacent to each other yet going through different kinds of transformations...
- Choi Wan Estate with its brand new placemaking transformation;
- Choi Hung Estate with its upcoming redevelopment;
- Ping Shek Estate with its upcoming facade and public space beautification.
On Saturday, I attended the Choi Wan Community Planting Day, a happy note to celebrate the many months of work at the ULI Hong Kong committee that I have been a part to drive this placemaking effort at Choi Wan Estate, making this Bank of America grant for Link REIT roof-scape a reality, including the planting, beautification and mural that the artists designed together with Choi Wan residents. It was indeed a heartwarming moment to see architects, artists and the community come together on this one occasion to bring the #community connection in the estate together!
I spent Sunday with Docomomo Hong Kong and 我港 Kongcept with a tour of Choi Hung Estate and Ping Shek Estate, also with a group of architects and passionate community. We experienced the local businesses that have been institutions of the neighbourhood for over four decades, with the rich identity and history of Choi Hung celebrated by the Hong Kong Housing Authority's 生活館, and learned about the background and history of Choi Hung with the architectural heritage of Bauhaus influence. We also explored and understood the significance of Ping Shek Estate's heritage with the elevated platform separating vehicular and pedestrian traffic, a design breakthrough at the time, and the iconic stand-alone structure in the middle of the estate as a Cha Lau, and the unique instagramable atrium space!
Thank you Eli Konvitz, May Chow, Jan L., Chris Law and his team at Oval Partnership who drove the meaningful project at Choi Wan Estate, Chris N. from Bank of America who oversaw it, and the Link REIT team who supported this project, including Katherine Lo and Emmanuel Farcis. And to the ULI Art in Place team Wendy Tsai, Tatum Lau, Fay Li who stepped in at the last moment to connect the two artists DD and Sydney to realise the beautiful mural. Also Many thanks to Ying Zhou, Don Hong & Docomomo team for guiding us through the local stories behind Choi Hung together with local Kaifong Tsam Sir.
Visits to public housing estates have become almost a daily occurrence for our team Architecture Commons since the #Wellbeing Design Guide project, and our team is embarking on a new project including one of the estates mentioned above! We have felt the weight and importance of these everyday spaces, which are linked to strong heritage and collective memories. We hope to help make these spaces unique places with an identity and image that everyone in the community can join us in shaping. We look forward to sharing our work with the Housing Bureau and Hong Kong Housing Authority in the very near future!
#housingestate #transformation #HongKong #ChoiWan #ChoiHung #PingShek
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.