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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Architecture and design. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
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Zizi, a Chinese participant performing fire spinning at “Shambhala in Your Heart” festival. Photo: David Frazier

Chinese youths swap the rat race for fun and freedom at Thailand’s hippie Shambhala festival

At a hippie festival in northern Thailand, mainland Chinese youths are swapping involution for personal freedom.

Reading Time:9 minutes
The summit of Norman Foster’s HSBC Main Building in relief against The Peak, 1986. Photo: Ian Lambot

The building that rewrote architecture – 40 years ago

Reading Time:7 minutes
Stephen Buckle, from Aspect, a global landscape architecture company, says that the most successful way to strike a balance between commercial and design aspirations is to make ecologically minded greening the focal point of any project, including this, The Roof, a Shanghai lifestyle complex, designed in collaboration with French architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: Courtesy Aspect

From Hong Kong’s Taikoo Square to Seoul’s Gangnam forest and Chengdu’s Hyperlane, nature is reshaping Asia’s cities

Reading Time:7 minutes
Hintegro founder Keith Chan’s Sha Tin retreat. Photo: Keith Chan

An interior designer on finally designing for his own home

Reading Time:4 minutes
Innocent and Chihiro Mutanga on the rooftop of Chungking Mansions, in Tsim Sha Tsui, the spot where they got engaged. Photo: Tracy Wong

The cross-cultural love story that forms the heart of the Africa Centre

Reading Time:6 minutes
New Zealand’s Dallas Seymour powers his way through the mud as his team faces Hong Kong at the 1992 Cathay Pacific-Hongkong Bank Invitation Sevens at Hong Kong Stadium. The All Blacks won, obviously. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: 50 years of mud, sweat and beers at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

Reading Time:1 minute
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Cottagecore’s appeal lies in its promise of escape: a quieter life, closer to nature. Photo: Handout
Interiors

How the Beckhams and Ellen DeGeneres are inspiring the cottagecore trend

Brands like LoveShackFancy and Summerill & Bishop are embracing the aesthetic, while even Meghan Markle has her own line of orchard-inspired products.

Luxury Hotels

Review | Rosewood Amsterdam blends luxury and heritage in the heart of the city

Hong Kong

How Hong Kong’s new restaurants are using thoughtful design to draw crowds

HSBC

Norman Foster’s HSBC Building was born 40 years ago. How does he see it today?

Foster says the bold strategic design decisions he made for the HSBC Main Building four decades ago are just as valid today.

British architect Norman Foster speaks during an interview at the HSBC Main Building in Central, Hong Kong, on April 9, 2026. His architectural masterpiece is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Photo: Karma Lo
Luxury Hotels

Review | Park Hyatt Tokyo reopened after a 2-year renovation – here’s a look inside

You may know it from 2003’s Oscar-winning Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – take a look inside the iconic hotel.

Luxury Hotels

Review | The newly opened 1 Hotel Tokyo, a sustainability-driven hotel in Akasaka

1 Hotels – which has outposts in cities like London, Copenhagen, Melbourne and West Hollywood – has opened its first Asian location in Akasaka, Tokyo.

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Japan

An interior designer on finally designing for his own home

After hundreds of client projects, an interior designer creates his own retreat, in Sha Tin, infusing local flavour and personal nostalgia with Japanese sensibilities. Kora Kwok pays a visit.

Hintegro founder Keith Chan’s Sha Tin retreat. Photo: Keith Chan
South Korea

From Hong Kong’s Taikoo Square to Seoul’s Gangnam forest and Chengdu’s Hyperlane, nature is reshaping Asia’s cities

Urban greening is evolving: Asian cities are embracing biodiverse urban forests, moving beyond mere decoration to create ecological, human-centric spaces.

HSBC

The building that rewrote architecture – 40 years ago

The architect whose creation defied convention and the photographer who shot it share their thoughts on an inside-out marvel.

Good Schools Guide

How Hong Kong schools are transforming to mirror university-style spaces

A wave of new and refurbished international school campuses is aiming to help students prepare for seamless tertiary transitions.

Students are encouraged to acquire skills they will need beyond school. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s luxury living evolution, from Mid-Levels to Chai Wan

A new wave of residences is redefining luxury on Hong Kong Island, embracing light and elevation, and blending nature and urban life.

Aerial view of The Headland Residences and the surrounding district. Photo: Handout
Art

A riot of colourful artworks in Padua defines Italy’s Painted City

The World Heritage site’s colourful attractions include one of the earliest depictions of a kiss in Western painting.

Luxury Hotels

Review | Inside Mondrian Gold Coast, the new luxury hotel in Australia

We check into the Mondrian Gold Coast, the first venture in Australia by the boutique brand, established by legendary hotelier and Studio 54 co-founder Ian Schrager.

Artist's Studio

Hong Kong sculptor Gamzar turns iron and bamboo into art

The artist transforms contrasting materials into delicate sculptural installations, channelling design, craft and memories of the city’s industrial past.

Hong Kong artist Gamzar in his To Kwa Wan studio. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Luxury Hotels

Review | Explore a new side of the city from the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan

The new Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan, with its futuristic facade, is situated in one of the city’s most stylish areas – and is Hilton’s 888th property in China.

The Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan looks like a cruise ship when seen from across the Huangpu River. Photo: Handout
Art

9 artists to look out for at this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong

From Kazakh warrior sculptures to speculative films by Andrew Thomas Huang and Ayoung Kim, these are the artworks defining this year’s programme.

Interiors

This muralist’s apartment refuses to sit still

In her ever-evolving Mid-Levels rental, a muralist treats walls and furniture as extensions of her creative practice.

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Tourism

‘Most beautiful’ cloister in Rome hides a dramatic and dark past

Two popes were elected, and Galileo interrogated by the Roman Inquisition, behind the walls of this Roman cloister, steps from the Pantheon.

Rome’s hidden Santa Maria Sopra Minerva cloister is steeped in papal history and Renaissance art. Photo: AP
Hong Kong

Too shiny, straight, serious, samey: when architecture stops feeling human

Cookie-cutter buildings are efficient, but our brains evolved for variety, not endless repetition, and that mismatch can stress us out.

Locals' Guide

Insider’s guide to Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Derelict houses reborn as hip cafes and a showcase for local fashion talent are some of the draws in Johor’s capital, actress Debbie Goh reveals.

Interiors

A seaside retreat where a finance couple can escape their kids

Stylus Studio was inspired by the surrounding hills and the sea to incorporate elements of natural timber and stone.

The living room in the Ap Lei Chau apartment in Hong Kong, designed by Stylus Studio. Photo: Steven Ko
Art

‘I am a wild card’: James Taylor-Foster on being Para Site’s new director

The new Para Site executive director talks about his plans to make contemporary art accessible in Hong Kong, censorship and more.

James Taylor-Foster poses for a photo in front of the “Monster Building” in Quarry Bay. He is the newly appointed executive director of Para Site art space in Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li
Style Edit

Style Edit: MCM’s 50th anniversary reboot of its most iconic travel bags

MCM celebrates the big five-oh by reimagining its cult silhouettes for a new generation of global, on‑the‑move alt luxe lovers.

Art

Why modern art museum Dib Bangkok is a must-visit destination in Thailand

Explore Dib Bangkok, a new contemporary art museum in a converted warehouse – its inaugural exhibition is showcasing works by 40 artists until August 3.

Asia travel

Beyond Angkor Wat’s allure: discovering Cambodia’s hidden gems

From authentic Khmer dining and luxe temple living at Anantara Angkor Resort, to Phnom Penh’s vibrant streets, riverside strolls and artisanal souvenirs.

A view of the pool at Anantara Angkor Resort. Photo: Handout
Tourism

5 top Instagram spots by Huizhou’s Highway 218 blending nature and architecture

From picturesque Xiangang Reservoir to Xialang Village’s architectural Grand Canopy, Huizhou’s scenic northwest has much for photographers.

Children play in the river as adults relax on the shore at The Grand Canopy in Xialang Village, in China’s Huizhou region. Designed by Chinese architect Zhao Rongzhi and artist Zhu Xiongyi, The Grand Canopy is one of many Instagram hotspots around Huizhou’s 218 Highway. Photo: Zhu Yumeng
Art

‘Beautiful and unexpected’: join Pulitzer Prize winner on a Hong Kong stroll

‘Trust’ author Hernan Diaz talks about his lauded 1920s New York-set novel and architectural power symbols on his first visit to Hong Kong.

Wine and Spirits

Q&A | Troye Sivan on wine, creativity and working with people he loves

The Tsu Lange Yor founder on designing limited edition pieces, why wine taps the same creativity as music, and his pride in his homeland.

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