Hong Kong architect Belinda Ho on the challenges of building sustainably in the city

What drew you to architecture? “I hopped on a plane at 18 to brave it out in the world. While staying with my brother, a structural engineer working in the US, we talked about what I would do with my life, and because I liked to draw, we narrowed it down to architecture. I got my undergraduate degree at the University of Houston, but wanted to equip myself with a second degree. One of my classmates was applying to Rice University, in Texas, so I decided to give that a shot.”

What brought you back to Hong Kong? “After I’d been working for a few years, the US economy was not doing so well, whereas in Asia things were booming. I decided to return to Hong Kong, thinking I would give it a year. I spent five years with Leigh & Orange, working on a number of institutional projects, moved to Singapore for a while to teach at the National University of Singapore, then moved back to Hong Kong to start my own practice.

“Before I’d even unpacked my boxes, an old friend who worked with Gammon Construction suggested I pick up the Tamar [Hong Kong government headquarters] design management role for the pre-tender and tender submissions. It was a HK$4 billion project, the first design-and-build project of this scale for Gammon, and the most challenging project I’ve ever done. I worked seven days a week, 15 hours a day.”

What happened next? “More jobs came our way after Tamar, from clients including Kerry Logistics, YMCA and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation [HKSTP], as well as projects in China, including a 300-room hotel in Jiangxi province. I was also the design manager for the tender of the Kai Tak cruise terminal. It’s been a steady growth since then. We also opened an office in China in a sustainable house, converted from an old barn, in Shunde, Foshan.”