When Swire, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate dating back to the 1870s, decided in the early years of the 21st century to start a hospitality business, it turned to Fu who graduated from Cambridge University in 2000 and opened a studio in his hometown three years later to design the interiors of his flagship objects. Dressed in a nondescript ensemble of open shirt, chinos, and loafers that seem to be a personal signature, Fu carefully chooses his words.
Hong Kong architecture places great emphasis on contemporary architecture – modernism, postmodernism and functionalism. Due to the lack of available land, there are only a few historic buildings left in urban areas. As Hong Kong has become the center of modern architecture, older buildings have been evacuated to make way for new, larger buildings.
The first buildings in Hong Kong classified as the first high-rise buildings were built between June 1904 and December 1905. There were 5 large buildings, 5-6 storeys high and constructed by Hong Kong Land Company, Catchick, Paul Chater, James Johnstone and Keswick. Most skyscrapers were built for business purposes, but Hong Kong’s first real skyscraper was built by Hong Kong Bank in 1935. It had air conditioning and replaced HSBC as the city’s main building in 1985.
Hong Kong architectural firms are heavily involved in the design of landmarks and multi-purpose complexes in major cities. Export of professional architectural services plays a prominent role in Hong Kong’s architecture industry, as many Hong Kong firms are involved in residential, office and commercial development, urban planning and infrastructure projects, including in mainland China, Asia and the Middle East. Hong Kong’s exports of architectural, technical, scientific and other technical services rose 77% to HK $420.7 million in 2014.
Hong Kong architectural firms are known for their expertise in project management, which ensures effective control over quality, costs and project duration. They are a platform for design specialists to deliver first-class solutions for the built environment. Its more than 1,000 creative minds work together through a network of 11 offices around the world to provide services including architectural planning, urban planning, heritage protection, landscape and building information modeling, BIM, lifestyle and lighting design.
The first International Youth Archidesign 2020, scheduled to take place on 6 December to mark the school’s 4th anniversary, is an event organized by Hong Kong Education Institute and My Archischool Design to bring together young talents in architectural design to build our future world and to help them realise their full potential and creativity. In early 2015 the AIA Hong Kong Young Architects Group (YAG) was established to address the specific needs of young architects connected with AIA members in Hong Kong. YAG membership has since expanded to include emerging professionals and young architects from the United States that join AIA, as well as undergraduates into the profession.
During a recent visit to my archive school, Wong Chuk Hang, we discovered how amazing things can be when young children learn architectural concepts and get freedom and tools to create. Experienced professionals act as authorized architects, one of whom is an interviewer of professional assessments by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects and the Architects Register Board of Hong Kong.
My new approach to heritage conservation has led to some of the most exciting projects in Asia. I am also passionately interested in teaching children the skills required to use the tools available to design and incorporate cutting-edge technologies. This includes creating tables, materials, creating physical models and 3D modeling on the computer using the latest technology, “Cheung said.
In 2009, the city government launched a new initiative to encourage NGOs to use historic buildings for adaptive reuse. While some historical structures have been demolished, the strategy has dealt with the few that have survived.
Hong Kong has seen a string of innovative examples of adaptive reuse, including an old police dormitory that has been transformed into a design center, a series of retail outlets that have been converted into a cultural center for comics and a former military compound that has been transformed into an art complex. These projects were conceived as catalysts for urban change, transforming suburban industrial landscapes into robust lifestyles and cultural centers.
This work was created in conjunction with the e-magazine Young Architects Forum. One of the questions that young architects raise is what can be taken away from them when they are young and competent. Supporting the design of trusted intermediaries in Hong Kong, this video essay takes a fresh look at Hong Kong’s urbanity through the lens of architecture and offers important snack options that underscore the studio approach of her work.
Kingsley Ma designs furniture that tenants can take with them when they move into homes that have been built with improvements to enrich the landlord and increase rents.
Such subtle and prescient social consequences of architecture can be more effective than bombastic solutions to the housing crisis. For architects, the modest potential of government intervention is that, while it will provide temporary relief, it will never be a permanent solution to the housing problem facing Hong Kong.
The early Western style buildings were constructed with local materials and with long verandas and wooden shutters, built to take into account the humid climate of the colonies.
Flagstaff House at Hong Kong Park, the oldest surviving colonial building, was built in 1846 and is now a tea museum. Other impressive colonial buildings on the island of Hong Kong are the former French mission building, the St. Johns cathedral, the western market and Central Police Station. On the Kowloon side of Hong Kong is a famous landmark the clock tower of Star Ferry Terminal Tsim Sha Tsui, built in 1921 and remains the oldest station connecting Hong Kong to China.