Dear AIA Members and Friends:
We’re in the midst of a very busy spring season in Hong Kong and around the region, with lots of news and some key announcements to share.
First and foremost, I am pleased to announce that it is now official: the AIA Hong Kong Chapter will be moving into permanent office space in the design center at the recently renovated Police Married Quarters (PMQ) on Hollywood Road. This is a major step for the Chapter and represents our intention to reach out and connect even more directly with the local Hong Kong community. We hope this new space will provide an easily accessible, public interface for all to engage with the Chapter for many years to come. Design and planning is underway, construction will begin soon and we look forward to celebrating an open house in our new space by mid-2014.
Secondly, and also a testament to the Chapter’s long standing efforts to extend meaningful benefits to our members, we are pleased to announce that we have successfully arranged for intern architects to take the very important Architect Registration Examination (ARE) in Hong Kong. This is the first such testing facility to be certified in Asia and will be a great asset both to those architects who wish to reside and practice in the region and to those firms who wish to grow and mentor the rising stars of the profession’s next generation.
I hope you enjoyed our recent series of events including the technical seminar at the JEB showroom on March 11, when new techniques for “Optimizing Office Space” were presented, and on March 13 at our first in a series of “Advanced Materials” presentations of 2014, featuring new technologies, products and research.
Then, on March 24, we were fortunate to enjoy a thought provoking presentation given by Patrik Schumacher, Principal of ZHA, who elegantly described the firm’s designs in the context of the architectural epoch of “Parametricism.” This impromptu AIA Hong Kong Chapter event hosted and sponsored by 10 Design and supported by BAGNODesign and Perspective Magazine, drew a standing room only audience of well over 100 members and friends. We are all extremely thankful to the sponsors and to Patrik Schumacher for this stimulating, theoretical discussion. Please look for a summary of the event to be featured in Perspective magazine over the coming months.
Later in April we plan to tour the new Zaha Hadid designed “Innovation Tower” and we will also be hearing from the Hong Kong Green Building Council on their current sustainability initiatives.
Please do remember to renew your membership if it has accidently lapsed, or to sign up as a new member if you haven’t already done so, in order to help support the Chapter as we continue to bring great tours, featured speakers and events to you and the community.
We look forward to seeing you all again at our upcoming events. And please remember to keep up to date by checking the calendar on our website often – www@aiahk.org
2014 President – AIA Hong Kong Chapter – Christian Low, AIA