Date 27.01.2021

Location Hong Kong

Our graduates Ma Chun Yu Kelvin (MArch 2020) and Wong Lok Hei Jessie (MArch 2020) have received the Gold Award and Bronze Award at the ARCASIA Thesis of the Year Award respectively.

Supervised by Prof. Jeroen van Ameijde, Kelvin presents a research-by-design project that applies a digital and discrete material system to high-rise housing in Hong Kong. His proposal “Participatory Housing – A system of Reconfigurable spaces for 21st century living” adopts an integrated approach to design, construction and inhabitation, making use of a system of “discrete parts’’ which can be assembled in various apartment configurations to incorporate occupant’s requirements, and facilitate negotiations and changes over time. This project has previously won multiple awards including the Student Award Winning Architecture Project of the World Architecture Community Awards, Honorable Mentions at the Architecture Master Prize 2020 and Semi-Finalist at the 2020 CTBUH Student Design Competition.

Jessie, under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Chung, explores the idea of regenerative architecture in her thesis “Seaweed Machine: Regenerative Architecture at Tung Ping Chau”. The project adopts the metaphor of machine to connect different stages of seaweed manufacturing and processing to recycle CO2, converting the north-easternmost offshore island of the New Territories into a seaweed-sustained enclave that can generate energy and food. This project has previously won the HKIA Student Medal 2020.

Organised by The Architects’ Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA), the ARCASIA Thesis of the Year Awards aims to provide an international arena for architecture students to display their insights and creativity, while facilitating knowledge exchange between architecture schools.