Opinion | There are rewards for breaking out of the box
There are many reasons for putting up bland buildings, but creativity can fetch a premium
Last Saturday, I took a bus to Sai Wan from Causeway Bay. When my bus passed a building with unusual shapes on the façade, I recognised it was the Lippo Centre and I am already in Admiralty. And the nearby gold-coloured building is the Far East Finance Centre.
But when the bus got into Central, I could not tell the difference with any of the new office buildings such as AIA Central and the China Construction Bank tower. Except for the height and size, they all look almost the same.
Perhaps small plot areas have limited the design of these buildings and the architects have had to balance efficiency with design. Most of the office buildings completed in recent years have glass curtain walls and are shaped like boxes.
There has been a lack of iconic buildings or buildings with "character" coming up in the last few years.
This is despite the fact that construction technology has improved, the property market is booming and developers have hired well-known overseas architects.
The new government headquarters, with its "door always open" design, is one of the few recognisable buildings completed in recent years. 50 Connaught Road Central in Central is the only new building that uses stones instead of glass curtain walls in recent years.