At least 20 nations that offer citizenship or residency through property investment are growing increasingly popular among city’s residents looking for a ‘Plan B’

Hong Kong architects have revived a Mid-Autumn Festival tradition: tower burning. Their version is eco-friendly, flame-free and LED-lit, and a showcase for the recycled-plastic bricks used in its construction.

Taking a cue from millennials’ co-living spaces, Matthias Hollwich’s Skyler concept replaces the ‘simulated reality’ of retirement communities with apartment towers for people of all ages who look after each other.

Properties in the sun-drenched island paradise of Hawaii range from as little as US$250,000 for a modest home to oceanfront estates worth millions of dollars

Upcycled or recycled, waste materials such as bone, skins, feathers, shells, automotive parts, PET bottles, and coffee grounds are being turned into beautiful, and practical, items for the home by designers committed to sustainability.

Forget cookie-cutter offices – companies are designing feel-good workplaces that are also flexible, sociable and hotel-like in sophistication and ambience. Innovations include non-fixed modular systems and ‘non-office’ aesthetics.

US architect Bill Bensley rarely fails to surprise with his sometimes wacky hotel ideas, such as tree houses and guests zip lining to reception. Now he’s working on a human ‘zoo’ in China where it’s the guests who appear imprisoned.

The word on the grapevine is that Chinese and Hong Kong investors see vineyards in France’s prime growing regions, especially Bordeaux, as an ideal way to diversify property portfolios

Luxe duplexes and ‘villas in the sky’ in places like Sentosa Cove and District 9 are attracting super-rich buyers from Asia who previously were investing in Canada, the United States and New Zealand

More than 14 per cent of properties sold in the French capital to non-resident and resident foreigners during first three months of the year were bought by buyers from China

Unique, high-end real estate remains a well-performing investment opportunity for ultra high-net-worth individuals in uncertain economic times

With millions to spend, life on top of the world with unimpeded 360-degree views, double-height ceilings, a hotel-style concierge and ‘wow’ factor is the ultimate real estate status symbol

Despite the flat’s small size – just 453 square feet – clever design and careful planning mean every member of a family of five, including Pa the parrot and Meow the cat, get their own space

Siti Nurafaf Ismail, the first Asian woman to win the RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship, will shadow leading architects working on post-disaster rebuilding projects in Hokkaido, Japan, and Karachi, Pakistan.

Following the death of Bing Thom, the architect behind Tsim Sha Tsui’s Xiqu Centre, Venelin Kokalov, of Revery Architecture (formerly Bing Thom Architects), finished the project in collaboration with Ronald Lu & Partners.

Projects such as Melbourne Skyfarm and those by Hong Kong’s Rooftop Republic are turning busy urban areas into hubs of food production while promoting green and sustainable lifestyles.

If you’re looking for a laid-back lifestyle with plenty of solitude, there are private islands for sale all over the world. Remember to factor in access, planning and ability to build

Planto, gini, Chloe and Mellow – the financial equivalent of fitness trackers – can act as digital financial advisers

Think of it as foliage without the fuss. Trees, flowers and moss can be filled with a preservation formula to add years of maintenance-free ‘life’ to your plants.

Keeping your most intimate digital details safe is not impossible but does require a level of caution most of us seldom exercise

The new technology, which could offer superior online privacy, will not be widely adopted until smartphone and computer manufacturers install Li-fi chips in devices

Robotic airport delivery service and ‘sporty’ AR sunglasses among highlights at Hong Kong’s Trends Symposium 2019 – Roadmap to the Future

This most recent generation of consumer-grade smart locks are safer than ever before and deliver more convenience

Water-based cool and dry air system; hi-tech solutions by major brands; and ‘smart glass’ with self-modifying coating help you and the planet beat the heat

Whether it’s blown, cast, fused or melted, glass is having a moment in interior design – used to craft unique furniture and decorative features. Designers point to its handmade, tactile quality and the way it reacts to light.

Improved electric vehicles, such as Jaguar’s I-PACE, and increase in enhanced charging stations in city will help energise drivers

Etania Green School in Sabah, conceived by a Singapore-based non-profit, shows how good design can help inspire young thinkers. It’s hoped it will be the first of 30 schools to be built for thousands of children left stateless.

One estimate claims we waste a year of our lives looking for things we mislay

Cycles, treadmills, rowing machines, smart mirrors and apps can connect to real-time and on-demand exercise classes

Wearables that vibrate to restore calm, ‘smart, self-care lights’ and a waterbed that keeps you cool at night are among the latest innovations