Speaker Gary Chang

Date 24.10.2016

Time 18:00

Location Exhibition Zone F, 1/F, CUHK School of Architecture

The phenomenon of rapid urbanization implies the high density of the urban population and scarcity of living space. As a result of vertical developments, a more intimate relationship is created between residential and non-residential buildings. In a city with high functionality, some functions of a living space can be shared out into the city – an apartment can be smaller, and reciprocal causation is created between the two. The notion of exploring compact living space is no longer a local phenomenon in Hong Kong, but rather a universal topic. Even metropolises such as London, New York and Tokyo begin to be concerned with and promote compact apartments. As apartments become smaller, in exchange, the city becomes an extension of the home. Has our home become smaller, or bigger?

Gary Chang’swork has focused on spatial flexibility and the interplay between art and practicality. The tiny apartment in Hong Kong in which he grew up sparked a lasting curiosity about maximizing compact space. Gary founded EDGE Design Institute Ltd. in 1994 and has since created such notable works as the Suitcase House in Beijing, his Kung-fu tea-set for ALESSI, and the transformation of his childhood and current 32 m2 apartment.