With the property market only recently beginning to claw its way out of a long slump, architecture might not sound like a promising profession. Architecture graduates face fewer entry-level job opportunities, lower salaries and an unpredictable future.
But award-winning young architect Brian Chan Yuk-shing believes young people in the profession can follow a different path and pursue an interesting career despite the negative marketplace.
After graduating from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a master's degree in architecture, Mr Chan joined Hong Kong-based Oval Partnership as an architectural assistant.
'That was a fun and rewarding experience,' he said.
Rather than seeking mainstream business such as private housing estates, Oval Partnership is dedicated to community projects, heritage buildings and academic institutions.
Projects Mr Chan worked on included school developments, integrated youth centres, homes for the elderly and police stations.