As Founder and Managing Director of CL3 Architects Ltd. (CL3), William Lim brings over 30 years of experience to his projects. An acclaimed architect and artist, William graduated from Cornell University and has spent the past two decades at the forefront of architecture, culture and art.
With a keen appreciation of humanities and art, William’s designs are distinctive and contemporary. “Architects have a social obligation to improve urban environments,” explains William. “Architecture is about people. I always feel that architects are only doing part of the job—the rest is really shaped by the occupant using the space. We treat every project as a unique challenge and pay attention to every single detail – from architecture to interior to furniture, -- to create human-oriented and quality designs with artistic value.”.
Since founding CL3 in 1992, William has established a notable presence on the global design scene. The studio’s diverse, award-winning portfolio includes architectural and interior projects for hotels, restaurants, retail, corporate, residences and art installations.
William is also an accomplished artist focusing on largescale installations. Throughout his art career he has been shown internationally, most notably Lantern Wonderland HK 2003 & 2011, Venice Biennale’s International Architectural Exhibition in 2006 & 2010, Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in 2007, 2009 and 2017 and Architecture and Heritage: Unearthing Future, Seoul, Korea, 2019. His signature piece, “West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre”, was awarded the Grand Award and Special Award for Culture in “Design for Asia Award in 2013”.
Committed to promoting culture and education, William is currently on the Board of Trustees for Cornell University, member of Arts and Culture Council and Gallery Advisory Committee for Asia Society Hong Kong Center and member of Museum Expert Advisers for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate degree by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2018.
