Hong Kong architect Eric Tong on working with Zaha Hadid and his innovative furniture

Tell us about the Zaha Hadid connection. “My internship year was 2001-02, while studying at University College London’s Bartlett School of Architecture. Back then her office was tiny – only around 40 staff, compared to almost 500 now. At the time Zaha didn’t have many jobs, so she hired students to help with competition bids.

“One that I worked on, which we won, was the BMW Central Building, in Leipzig, Germany. It received the 2006 RIBA European Award and was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize. After that I worked for [London-based] Future Systems – the directors were good friends of Zaha and they shared similar design philosophies. I developed an interest in innovation and got thinking about doing my own projects. That’s why I opened my own studio.”

When was that? “In 2010. Eravolution was established in London, but the work I was doing was mostly design research. Part of the reason I came back to Hong Kong, in 2012, was to convert my research-based studio into a business. Opportunity-wise, I don’t like to compare the two cities. There is more competition among peers in London, but less emphasis on design in Hong Kong.”

What have you been doing since? “I look for inspiration from nature and sciences – I am very much a person of ‘cause and effect’. I’d designed my Zpine Lounger, a chair made of thin plywood based on the honeycomb structure, with a reference to the human spine, in London. It was a very academic and experimental project – something between art and design, which I hadn’t intended to commercialise. But it won a couple of awards, which gave me confidence to keep going in this direction and develop a career in furniture design. In Hong Kong, there aren’t many brands developing their own furniture. I saw a niche, and brought back the Zpine Lounger to test the waters.”

Did it sell? “I soon learned that it was too expensive. There were specific purchases, but mostly by collectors. Since then I’ve been doing different projects, mostly furniture. Foremost has been developing my own brand, along with client commissions.