How lifestyle changes are helping architects create more out of less

Hong Kong residents’ living spaces are shrinking as property prices soar, but architect William Liu believes quality of life can nonetheless be improved through design, technology and change of lifestyle.

Liu, the director of ARK, an architect and interior designer behind several major developments, believes trends in the way people lead their lives and advances in technology have created the potential to get more out of less space.

“The trend in open kitchens is one area,” he said. “People do not necessarily cook a full meal so a full enclosed kitchen may not be necessary.”

A typical open kitchen can save 17 square feet of space compared with a traditional enclosed kitchen because the circulation space is shared with the dinning room.

Another space-saving device, said Liu, is to swap a bathtub for a shower.

“People do not normally take a bath these days and prefer a shower. In the past we designed bathrooms that are a standard 2.3 metres by 1.5 metres [an area of 3.45 sq metres or 37 sq ft) so we can fit a bathtub. Nowadays, the bathrooms can be reduced to 1.2 metres by 2.15 m [an area of 2.58 sq metres or 27.7 sq ft) by adopting a shower,” he said.