The design dialogue reveals the design team’s design process, and the opportunity and challenges presented. Presented by DTFS 2018/2019 designer mentees, co-moderated by Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/ Executive Director, Design Trust), Christopher Law (Founding Director, Oval Partnership), Mark Blackwell (Creative Director, Morphis Landscape Architects), along with expert guest respondents and other community stakeholders.
Date: Saturday 19 January 2019
Time: 4-6pm
Venue: Warehouses on West
Shop B, G/F, Samtoh Building, No. 384A Queen’s Road West,
Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong
Session 1 – Collaborative Production/Fabrication
Yi Pei Square Playground – “How do we redefine territories of space?”
Key ideas stem from the research of sub-divided flats and the limited play space for local residents in Tsuen Wan. A few sub-divided flats around the playground have been converted to play rooms to create play areas for children and due to these conditions, the team’s built upon core concepts to conceptualize a “communal living room”. Through public engagement and workshops, some of the new play equipment was collectively designed, including inputs from the local residents on graphics, furniture, and other facilities of the playground. How creatively can designers deal with the different design inputs and limitations enforced by various parties? One of the biggest limitations faced by the design team is the Yi Pei Square site runs through an Emergency Vehicle Access (EVA) fire exit, reducing footprint for other play spaces. How could we redefine territories of space? How through graphics can different spaces be connected to create an inclusive and intergenerational space?
Hamilton Street Rest Garden – “How do we collaborate with local communities?”
The design concept is “ConnecTable”, which in itself brings people together to sit around a main table, connecting the community through the concept of “Dap Toi” (table sharing) – an everyday practice of Chinese culture and local communities. Studying and working with the site’s neighbourhood which boasts a number of local small-scale manufacturing shops, the designers work with the makers to collectively design the park, and showcase their unique techniques of making and production, thus enhancing the community ownership of the place. This session will also focus on the practical questions of furniture design and fabrication in detail.
Programme Rundown:
4:00 – 4:15 : Presentation with Design Team 1 (Yi Pei Square)
4:15 – 4:30 : Presentation with Design Team 2 (Hamilton Street)
4:30 – 4:50: Q&A with guest respondents and audience
4:50 – 5:00: Further Q&A with audience
Session 2 – Who are we designing for?
Sitting-Out Area Under Hill Road Flyover – “Who are we designing for?”
This session will demonstrate the complex processes of public design making, yet the exciting potentials of public imagination and the creative will power of the members involved. Reflecting the different voices of the community, and balancing the original designer’s intent with buildability, maintenance, and working with multiple stakeholders. How does a designer navigate through the desires of all these parties at the same time without diluting the original core concept? What kind of innovation is needed to enable the design process to lead to a desirable public space for all? What kind of new practices like the NGO of HK based Design Trust, or local charities like Caritas or District councils play a role between public and private sectors as mediators and catalyzers?
Portland Street Rest Garden – “Are we too risk adverse?”
In addition to the similar question of who are we designing for, Portland Street focuses on the definition of risk. This could be about physical risks of injury or stolen furniture (safety), or also how risk is considered as offending certain groups of users of the park. With Portland Street’s unique site context, its history, its relationship to the neighborhood and adjacency, how do we design with constraints and embrace each site’s existing context, and create provocative design concepts? Designers’ in this team have produced a series of conceptual designs through the DTFS 2018/2019 programme that reflect complexity of perspectives from stakeholders, and opens up the debate on the relationship between perceived risk and potential problematics on the liability of extreme creativity.
Programme Rundown:
5:00 – 5:15 : Presentation with Design Team 3 (Hill Road)
5:15 – 5:30 : Presentation with Design Team 4 (Portland Street)
5:30 – 5:50: Panel / Q&A with guest respondents and audience
5:50 – 6:00: Further Q&A with audience
Co-moderated by Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/ Executive Director, Design Trust), Christopher Law (Founding Director, Oval Partnership), Mark Blackwell (Creative Director, Morphis Landscape Architects).
Guest Experts and Respondents:
– Ada Wong (Convenor & director, The Good Lab)
– Alex Bent (Managing Partner, District15)
– Chris Yuen (Play Environment Consultant, Playright)
– Helen Fan (M+/ Design Trust Research Fellow)
– Kathy Wong (Executive Director, Playright)
– Marc Cansier (Founding Partner, Marc & Chantal)
– Marvin Chen (Immediate Past President, HKIA)
– Sara Wong (Co-founder, Para Site, and Lecturer, BA Landscape Architecture programme, VTC)
– Sean Affleck (Director, Make Architect)
– Willie San (Senior Property Services Manager, ArchSD)