(8 March 2023, Hong Kong) The year 2023 marks an important milestone for the School of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), highlighting its achievements over three decades since its establishment. To celebrate the exceptional contributions of its alumni (namely CUA) in the design professions and society over the past years, the School proudly presents “(CUA)rchitect”, an interactive and story-telling exhibition that engages the general public with CUA showcasing some of their design works in and beyond architecture. The exhibition will be held at Central Market from 16 March to 31 March 2023.
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The CUHK School of Architecture was founded in 1991. Since then, it has been firmly committed to developing the core competencies and critical thinking skills its students require to gain creativity, achieve leadership in design fields, and make lasting contributions to the built environment.
(CUA)rchitect: A new definition of the Architect
The “(CUA)rchitect” Exhibition offers visitors a brand-new perspective on the range of interests and specialisations a professional architect can develop after graduation. While architects play crucial roles as artists, design-thinkers, starter-uppers, programmers and more, citizens from all walks of life also contribute constantly and collectively in shaping the city’s culture and developing its architecture.
A meaningful relationship has grown between architects and the public, beginning from cooperative community-engaging participation previously to co-creating, co-designing, and multi-generative, human-centric joint efforts today.
Trace your architectural DNA
In this exhibition, visitors are invited to take part in a “Which (CUA) Are You” test and set off on a playful and insightful architectural journey to discover what kind of architect that one might be.
Through this interactive engagement, each visitor’s character and interests will be matched with 8 architectural personas from the CUA, namely: the Artsy Architect (aesthetics and philosophical insights); the Experimental Architect (innovation); the Hands-On Architect (material and details); the Historical Architect (conservation); the Natural Architect (environmentally friendliness); the Playful Architect (interactive design); the Social Architect (collective memory and cohesiveness) and the Techy Architect (advancement in Building Information Management).
Highlighted works of 8 personas
Around thirty works by CUA are chosen and displayed in the exhibition to showcase the CUA’s inspiration and interpretation of architecture through the lenses of these eight personas.
Key Exhibits:
- The artsy project, “One Step Away” designed by Haynie Sze tries to transform her observations and practices in Building Regulations into an art form. By tracking the differences inside and outside the boundary of architecture, the artwork expresses thoughts under the dual role of an architect and a humble habitat.
- “Shenzhen Subway Line 16” by Damian Chanis an experimental project which begins with the notion of promoting the local cultures of Shenzhen in a creative way.
- “Contain.decontain”, the collective hands-on work of Mig Lau and Owen Lam, is a series of concrete-plant installations to express the relationship between city and nature metaphorically.
- The historical work “BRUTAL! – Unknown Brutalism Architecture in Hong Kong” by Dacy Chow, Kevin Mak, Mig Lau and Vivian Ting, is a work of concrete art and photography that reinterprets the post-war architectural heritage of Hong Kong by animating the sense of touch and vision, recording a moment that lasts.
- Raymond Wong brings us the simplest and most primitive form of architecture – shelter for humans in “A few men gather underneath a tree” to demonstrating the connection between nature and architecture.
- In the playful project “Urban Candy Shop”, Sarah Mui and Alan Cheung curate and present a liveable and lovable city through data mapping.
- The social project “Jockey Club Project Well-being: PLACE-MAKING in Schools” by Hoi Wood Chang focuses on creating school environments that reduce the stress of school and support students’ well-being through participatory design.
- In the techy work “Victoria Vessels”, the design team led by Longhin Wong aims to bring an interactive and sustainable addition to the Wanchai promenade by using a pure timber structure and curving design.
Public sharing sessions
A series of free public sharing sessions will also be held during the exhibition period. Visitor are encouraged to take part to understand more about the roles and contributions of CUA.