ARCH5110/6110L
Advanced Architectural Design Studio I & II – A Future-proofing Metropolis
Target Students MArch1, MArch2
Course Term 1 & 2
Course Type Required
Venue Studio
Teacher(s) LAM, Tat
Imagining and depicting urban futures has long been a way to express critical ideas in the history of architecture and urbanism. Designs of futuristic urbanism often align with images depicted in films from a century ago, such as the 1927 movie "Metropolis." Features like connected high-rises, large-scale automobile infrastructure, low-air mobility, and robotic devices, as envisioned in the film, have taken nearly a century to realize. Beyond imagining future lifestyles, the movie also used the design of the future metropolis to suggest the socio-political structures and design logic behind its construction. Today, Hong Kong stands at a critical juncture to redefine metropolitanism for the next century. This redefinition must consider the current geopolitical context, the Greater Bay Area (GBA) master plan from China, and the urgent need to redefine dynamics with the neighboring megacity of Shenzhen, which has a population of 20 million. Additionally, the new urban-rural dynamics within the Hong Kong Northern Metropolis Development Zones offer a unique opportunity to innovate and transform the future urban landscape.
The primary objective of this research studio is for students to design a visionary model of the Hong Kong Northern Metropolis for 25 to 50 years later, addressing a rapture paradigm shift based on future societal needs, technological advancements, and urban forms. Students will be tasked with future-proofing their designs by understanding the next generation's needs, integrating historical and contemporary city-making processes, and responding to various levels of integration between different concepts in the contemporary time; these include the relationship between the twin cities of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the interface between rural and urban environments, and the balance between large-scale infrastructure and human-scale needs.
The expected outputs from the studio will be detailed studies and designs across three scales: 1:200,000 for regional and twin city integration (term 1), 1:20,000 for district-level typological and morphological design (term 1), and 1:1-1:200 for architectural and last-mile human-infrastructure engagement (term 2). The complexity of the final resolutions will address multiple dimensions of contemporary city-making discourse. Students are encouraged to explore various directions, creating vertical and in-depth programmatic or design-thinking research that addresses social, political, economic changes, and new architectural typologies. The designs must respond to the dual, superimposed, and sometimes contradictory concepts of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong integration, rural-urban dynamics, and the interplay of large-scale infrastructure with human-scale needs.
The central research question is: What are the new urban morphologies and architectural typologies that can respond to the complex and sometimes contradictory context between the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen within the contemporary global futuristic city-making movement? This inquiry addresses the need to create new design assumptions for future technological availabilities and Hong Kong-Shenzhen integration, establish regional positioning and visions for Hong Kong over the next 25 to 50 years development, and critically examine and innovate with the existing urban-rural dynamics at the sites in Hong Kong. This studio seeks to transcend, critically challenge and redefine the concept of “metropolitanism”, which underlies the Hong Kong Northern Metropolis conceptualization during the planning and design process, but only stopping at repeating the existing models of city development from the last 25 to 50 years. Historically, the lineage of metropolitanism must be explored, while synchronically, different cultural and geopolitical interpretations need to be understood. This approach will help students develop a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of urban development.
Building on discussions from the last two years studio works of mine focused on futuristic developments in Africa based on both potential and imaginary paradigm shift of global power system, this studio will continue the process of creating and redefining developmental visions and assumptions; but back to China, or more precisely the large scale investment to develop the Hong Kong Northern Metropolis as a anchor of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Development. Despite being a new site in Hong Kong, the methodology remains consistent, emphasizing the redefinition of developmental visions and creating new assumptions for future developments. Students are required to engage with stakeholders from both Shenzhen and Hong Kong, including researchers, practitioners, financiers, and decision-makers, and conduct fieldwork at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen sites. They must navigate current debates such as gigantism, top-down approaches, and tabula rasa planning; versus granular, bottom-up, and incremental development. Additionally, they should critically analyze public versus private sector roles in development and the balance between planned and unplanned urban growth. Through this comprehensive engagement, students will develop critical perspectives and innovative solutions that address the future challenges of the Hong Kong Northern Metropolis.
To further break down this research topic into different themes for a two-term research and design process, the studio is structured to explore a range of topics. The initial phase will focus on abstract and metaphysical discourses, examining the socio-political and ideological aspects of metropolitanism within the context of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) development (Theme 1). The next theme will delve into the urban-rural dynamics, conducting research and design for specific sites between Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Theme 2). Finally, students will design their own smart infrastructure, driving innovation in architectural typology, urban morphology, and future-proofing programs (Theme 3.1 and 3.2). Additionally, the studio requires students to develop human-scale designs that address the last-mile engagement of large-scale infrastructure and everyday human life (Theme 3.3). Details can be found in Methods Section.
