Dear Members & Friends:

The 2016 AIA Convention with the theme Imagination took place in Philadelphia in mid May, and was attended by a large delegation from Hong Kong.

Among a wide variety of other topics, social justice and new technologies were discussed by Rem Koolhaas and Neri Oxman, the two keynote speakers. Koolhaas’s dialogue with Moshen Mostafavi on architecture, politics and social justice was insightful, while Ms. Oxman, from MIT’s media lab, presented equally stimulating research on digital design interacting with biology. The highlight of the Convention was the appearance of Denise Scott Brown, co-recipient of the 2016 AIA Gold Medal with Robert Venturi. Ms. Brown took the stage to explain her long struggle to success and received a standing ovation – a well deserved and long overdue recognition of her tremendous professional achievement.

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Dear Members and Friends,

Greetings from AIA Hong Kong! Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

In December we had our Holiday Party at PMQ and, more recently, the AHEC sponsored seminar on American Hardwoods. Both events were successful and well attended by members and friends.

Our Holiday Party was held at PMQ in early December to kick off the festive season. Thanks to Event Sponsor, Orientop, it was a fun event with a great turnout showcasing the Chapter’s office at PMQ. Our special guest was Bertrand Coldefy, President of the Continental Europe Chapter of the AIA International Region. Beyond that, it was good to see more young members joining the fun, including students from CUHK and SCAD from the US. There was a charity raffle, with some gifts donated by our Corporate Affiliates and AIA Hong Kong. We collected HK$5,000 and the Chapter will double that amount and donate it towards two charities – the Society for Community Organizations – catering to the housing needs of the urban poor here in Hong Kong – and the Spandana Society, an NGO offering a home for street children in Hyderabad, India. Thanks again to our members, friends and CAs, as well as Catherine and Vivian who worked hard to make this a meaningful and a memorable event. Members mentioned that it was good to see younger members and friends and wanted to see more events at PMQ showcasing our Chapter Office. Read more

Winning design to be completed in 2015

First Prize Winning Design: VPANG architects ltd + JET Architecture Inc + Lisa Cheung

The winning pavilion is designed to offer a respite from hectic city life, and impressed the judges with a smart simplistic approach, which allows the Pavilion to blend into its surroundings. Mirrored external walls camouflage the architecture, reflecting the surrounding expanses of greenery and immersing the building within its Park setting. To further this experience, the pavilion’s main exhibition space is elevated, allowing it to float above the foliage, creating the opportunity for artwork to be appreciated against a backdrop of the Hong Kong Island skyline with spectacular views out over Victoria Harbour. The building is designed to be surrounded by natural light, away from noise.  Inside, gallery spaces are created by polished concrete floors and white walls – a flexible backdrop for multidisciplinary art exhibitions and performances.

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