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Christopher DeWolf
Christopher DeWolf
Christopher Dewolf writes about urbanism, architecture and design – along with beer and other delicious beverages

Ma Yansong is arguably China’s most globally prominent architect, with his studio, MAD Architects, behind many eye-catching projects. A new Hong Kong exhibition gives insight into several of them.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, new 36-storey skyscraper The Henderson in Hong Kong’s Central business district is hard to ignore – we find out why the building looks like it does.

The new Union Church has been designed to honour the congregation’s 180-year history in Hong Kong. Tree-like structural columns support a vaulted ceiling and the airy space is filled with natural light.

Scale models of Chinese architects Neri&Hu’s adaptive reuse projects showing at the Venice Biennale of Architecture highlight the firm’s belief that no building can shrug off its past.

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“Transformative Hong Kong”, Hong Kong’s offering at this year’s Venice Biennale, focuses on how sustainable, human-centric architecture can be used to shape the future of a city at a critical juncture.

The Natural is Best snack shop at the West Kowloon Cultural District’s Xiqu Centre draws on Cantonese opera for its design, and features images of stars Alan Tam and Christie To.

The children’s library in Aberdeen, Hong Kong was a dark, boring space where youngsters had to be quiet. Architects, inspired by Bauhaus toys, turned it into a bright place for reading and play.

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When Ray Lok’s aquaponics farm was wrecked in a typhoon, he moved it indoors. With the help of smart interior design, his soil-free operation growing microgreens for Hong Kong restaurants is thriving.

‘People want more greenery and indoor-outdoor living,’ especially after the coronavirus pandemic underlined the value of fresh air, says Hong Kong architect Bryant Lu, a champion of ‘human-centric design’.

An architect behind the enormous Kai Tak Sports Park, slated for completion in 2024, describes it as a kind of neighbourhood, catering to the Hong Kong community as well as visitors.

The ‘zombie malls’ that litter the American suburban landscape are the death knell of a way of life. What can the US learn from the success of Asia’s shopping malls?

Pair at WOHA in Singapore who pioneered a new kind of architecture that combines high-rise living with a strong connection to the outdoors explain how global warming led them to focus on sustainability.

In Supertall, architect Stefan Al looks at how the world’s tallest buildings both benefit and hinder cities, examining vertical living in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and more.

Office furniture destined for landfills is being reused by schools, community spaces and NGOs in Hong Kong thanks to Sustainable Office Solutions, which redirects it to them.

The work-from-home era ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic has changed designers’ thinking about the homes of today and the future – and made this a focus of Business of Design Week 2021 in Hong Kong.

A beer glass designed to avoid shattering in fights, art installations aimed at stopping suicides – 30 projects made to work for as many people as possible explained.

Shanghai-based Neri&Hu’s appreciation for vernacular architecture sparked a sea change in that city’s approach to historic conservation. The architect couple behind the firm set out their ideas in a new book.

The Belcher Bay and Wan Chai promenades are among a handful of new areas along the harbourfront that are a far cry from Hong Kong’s over-regulated spaces of the past.

In 1993, a pair of American painters came up with the idea of making a carpet that looked like a watercolour painting. They recall how they formed Fort Street Studio in Hong Kong to sell their vivid, hand-knotted silk designs.

It’s taken 10 years of painstaking effort, but architect Anderson Lee has overseen the completion of a new campus at a college for troubled teens on a remote, roadless peninsula on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.

Natural materials and a pastel palette help the 690 sq ft Wong Chuk Hang flat to complement the verdant vistas of Bennett’s Hill and Aberdeen Harbour.

A mask with a 3D print of your own face, antibacterial door handles, and soothing objects with smiling faces are part of Critically Homemade, an exhibition of designs conceived after an architect’s call for pandemic-inspired ideas.

Fabio Mascheroni, designer and co-founder of luxury Italian brand Ludovica Mascheroni, explains why ozone-based sanitising cabinets may become as ubiquitous as air conditioning.

A Chinese medicine practitioner enlisted interior designer Keith Chan to transform his home into a retreat that honours his favourite country to visit.

Don’t just go hiking in the northern New Territories, spend a little time in Luen Wo Hui and Shek Wu Hui – two market towns with tree-lined streets, a bit of history, and simple pleasures.

The bar offers a portal to the past in Mong Kok. Founder Laszlo Raphael explains how the brewery worked with designer Alex Cheng King-hang, of Heed Studio, to transform a tiny corner shop into a space rooted in tradition.