The Architecture Experience – Hong Kong takes participants on a 7-day journey across the city of Hong Kong to understand Liveability, Sustainability, and Inclusivity in Hyper Dense Environments. Participants will explore urban development over the years, with a particular focus on creating sustainable environments that offer a high quality of life for residents. The program places a strong emphasis on community involvement as a critical stakeholder in urban development. Throughout the visits, the theme of sustainability is explored from both macro and micro perspectives. Participants can also observe local identity areas that have been rejuvenated with new public spaces, upgraded streetscapes, and thoughtfully integrated homes and amenities.
View showcasing the Hyper-Dense Environments of Hong Kong
Image on top – The Hong Kong Skyline
7
days
20
participants
1
city
What is The Architecture Experience - Hong Kong?
The best approach to growing as an architect is to learn from experiencing and observing. The Architecture Experience aims to do just that. Participants get to observe the evolution of high-density built environments and their relationship with the natural environment through site visits, and interactions with agencies, and document the learning in a themed narrative for later referencing. The Experience will be a seven-day long curated educational tour for up to twenty participants, across the city of Hong Kong.
These visits will focus on urban development through the years with a focus on the current needs of creating a sustainable environment with a high quality of life, involving the community as stakeholders. All the while looking at sustainability as an underlying theme from the macro to the micro level. The visits also include observations of local identity areas rejuvenated with new public spaces, upgraded streetscapes, or sensitive injection of new homes and amenities.
Itinerary
In the 7 days, participants will get to work on their own Capstone project in sync with their subjects in college or work. These projects will be relevant for an urban landscape, with inspiration taken from places visited during this Experience.
Jockey Club Innovation Tower by Zaha Hadid Architects. Image © Iwan Baan
Arrival in Hong Kong.
Orientation on the structure of the tour visits and project. Finalisation of teams and the participants’ roles and responsibilities within the team will be defined.
Places to visit: Kowloon Park, Tsim Tsha Sui Promenade, K11 Mall, HarbourFront (Skyline view).
Topics of discussion: Understanding the history of vertical growth and the HK housing authority’s plans for a high-density environment.
Places to visit: Yick Cheong Building (Monster Building), Tai Kwun Center of Heritage and Art, Bank of China Tower (outside visit), Central Harbourfront Event Space, Hong Kong observation wheel (outside visit).
Topics of discussion: The influence of modernism, post-modernism and the rise of contemporary architecture.
Places to visit: Choi Hung Estate, Yau Ma Tei area visit, Clubhouse Mongkok Sky Park, Langham Mall.
Topics of discussion: Land reclamation, building with the challenges of HK’s terrain.
Places to visit: ZCB, MegaBox, M+ Museum, West Kowloon Pavillion and Cultural District.
Topics of discussion: Integration of green spaces and usable community gathering spaces.
Places to visit: Hong Kong Design Institute, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City Mall.
Topics of discussion: Relationship of the built environment with the ecological system.
Places to visit: The Mills, Studio visit.
Free Day
Culmination of the tour, brief on submission of Capstone project.
Departure to India or home country.
Upcoming batches
How Much Does It Cost?
INR 125,000 / $1,600
The price includes flights ex-New Delhi, India. The price without flights is $1,250. Please contact us if you are a NASA India student, for discounted pricing.
What does the cost include?
Domain Expert Guidance
Course Material
flights
hotels
local & airport transfers
breakfast & dinner
visas
entry fees
Our Partners
People
Rachita Bhonsle
MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology
Curator & Tour leader - The Architecture Experience
Testimonials
(Participant - Vietnam, February 2024)
(Participant - Sri Lanka, October 2023)
(Participant - Singapore, February 2024)
Sustainable Development Goals
All our Experiences are aimed at implementing and solving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. Goal no. 17 ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ is key to our Experiences, since we work with a global team of experts to be able to add value to the learning of the participants. The Architecture Experience Hong Kong focuses on 3 of the Goals primarily.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
– Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being.
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
– By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing
– By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement
– By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
– By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
– Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
FAQs
– Students and fresh graduates from architecture colleges and related fields
– Young professionals from architecture, design and related fields who want to explore Liveability, Sustainability, and Inclusivity in Hyper Dense Environments in Hong Kong
Young architects from metro cities could benefit exponentially from observing architecture in a city where the mixed-use dense urban fabric coupled with excellent public transport affords its residents ease of access, convenience, and precious savings in travel time. For businesses, the density offers significant economic advantages. The concentration of people facilitates the exchange of ideas, spurs productivity and innovation, and contributes to the vibrant living-working environment of the city. This is an important parallel to draw with urban cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, London, and Berlin.
Yes! This Experience will take up to 20 participants. These participants will be split into smaller teams to execute projects which are designed to give added value to their ongoing projects (school or live).
The Architecture Experience is designed with the intent of enhancing architectural understanding. To this end, a short capstone project is included as part of the experience. The participants will explore methods of observation and documentation while focusing on ideologies of high density environments.
The Experience is designed with the intent of enhancing architectural understanding, by creating a hands-on and interactive learning layer on top of a curated travel plan. Throughout the trip, participants will visit architecturally relevant sites, both historic and modern. The project aims to encapsulate all this learning with an urban context.
Yes! From a logistics point of view, this price includes the cost of accommodation, flights, visas, breakfast and dinner, local and airport transfers, and entry fees where applicable.
“
A building can only be understood by moving around and through it, and by experiencing the modulation, and feel the spaces one moves through - from outside into verandah, then rooms, passages, courtyards. Architecture cannot be totally explained but must be experienced."
Geoffrey Bawa
Contact Us
Hong Kong Design Institute
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