For the eighth year in a row, Bayside resident Tim Hao won the first-place award for rehabilitation or redemptive use alteration of a single-family home at the 2018 Queens Chamber of Commerce's Annual Building Awards on Dec. 6 at Terrace On The Park. Hao, a Chinese immigrant entrepreneur who founded HCD Architect, is joined above by Borough President Melinda Katz. The house he won the award for is at 50-30 228 St. in eastern Bayside, inset, near Queensborough Community College. Previously, there was a one-story home at the location. "I like the contemporary style," said Hao, who heavily considers how each of his designs fits in with the surrounding community.

Tim Hao, who lives in Bayside, has been in the architecture business for more than 30 years and has won two awards for buildings he created in the borough that use elements on both the exterior and interior to enhance their appearances. Hao won the Best Rehabilitation of a Single Residence Building award for a project in Jamaica and the Best Rehabilitation of an Interior Space award for a medical office in Flushing. The Queens Chamber of Commerce gives out these awards because it strongly believes construction and real estate are important in Queens. And although the economy began to go downhill in 2008, companies much like Hao’s HCD Architect, continue to build spaces that work toward the betterment and beautifying of the borough. After studying architecture, interior design and other related subjects, Hao emigrated from China, where he was born, to the United States, where he founded his own company in 2004. It is in Forest Hills. For his most recent creations, Hao was recognized for his Wang residence in Jamaica Estates and the medical office of Dr. Hank Chien in Flushing. “I’ve been trying to provide designs that create uplifting spaces for people’s daily lives,” Hao said in an interview. He designed his winning detached family home by connecting the three-story shared space to the various indoor sectors. He paid special attention to the proportion and scale of the building structure and applied designs that enhanced the appearance of the home such as balconies and dormer windows. The other building was a medical office, recognized for its interior design. Hao used an arc-shaped ceiling to add a creative touch and used mirrors to amplify the visual field. “For a magnificent public building, the appearance is vital,” Hao said. He uses his structural knowledge to lower the construction cost of buildings he works on. According to Hao, interior and exterior design are equally important to create an appealing space and environment. The future goal and direction of Hao and his company is to create value through the pursuit of design and use structural knowledge to create functional, economical and attractive spaces. “Architecture is the landmark or a symbol of a city and represents the specific cultural ethos,” Hao said.