How Hong Kong architect made a 449 sq ft mess his hyper-minimalist haven
German who lectures at University of Hong Kong turned a flat in a walk-up building in Sai Ying Pun into a clutter-free retreat, with picture windows for a ‘glass house’ feel that lets in some of the bustle of the streets
Having lived in Hong Kong for eight years, German architect Christian Lange (who is also an educator at the University of Hong Kong) decided in early 2015 that it was time he and his wife, Alice Hui Jing-yeung, got their feet on the city’s housing ladder. They bought a 449 sq ft walk-up apartment in Sai Ying Pun and began renovations that May.
“We couldn’t afford to buy much in Hong Kong and this apartment was a real mess when we first saw it,” says Lange. “It had lots of walls dividing the space into tiny rooms but I could instantly tell by knocking on them that I would be able to remove most of them. It gave the flat instant potential.”
It didn’t take long for Lange to come up with a floor plan. He wanted to make the space as open as possible so that, despite its size, it wouldn’t feel cramped. Out came the partition walls and the small grilled windows – and in their place went lots of glass.
“We have surprisingly high ceilings and windows on all four sides of the apartment, which is rare in Hong Kong and was another reason we chose this place,” says Lange. “I substituted all the original windows with two large, picture windows that let in a lot of light and can slide right open. This links the interior to its urban environment, blurring the boundaries between the two.”
Although the neighbourhood has been touched by gentrification, the couple’s apartment is set amid bustling, vibrant, working surroundings.