Design Trust Grants Spotlight

Design Trust is pleased to share a selection of highlighted grant projects and news from grantees, including “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” led by Leyuan Li, “Breathing X: Atmosphere Architecture” led by Yixuan Cai, “Social Condenser Extraordinaire: the Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong” led by Ying Zhou and Fai Au, “4 Exchanges on an Hyper Specific Architectural Biotope” led by Charlotte Lafont-Hugo, “Pixelated Chronicles: Tales of Hong Kong Outlying Islands” led by Leroy Cheng and Vanessa Ma, and “ISLAND LIGHTS” led by Chi Chun Tang & Leroy Yuen.

Design Trust Feature Grant “Social Condenser Extraordinaire: the Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong” led by Ying Zhou and Fai Au

Research exhibition “Test Site: An exhibition for the Project ‘Social Condenser Extraordinaire: the Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong’” led by Fai AU, Ying ZHOU, and Jonathan YEUNG at PMQ, photo courtesy of Ying Zhou.

Research project “Social Condenser Extraordinaire: the Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong” led by Design Trust Feature Grant Recipients Ying Zhou and Fai Au, opened with a small exhibition called “Test Site” from October 22^nd to November 12^th 2024. The exhibition showcases the unique typology of Municipal Services Building (MSB), publicly-owned architectural buildings relating to Hong Kong’s density and institutional history, that are now facing demolition and renewal. The exhibition serves as an opportunity to “test” and explore various media formats to engage the wider public in the discussion of this unique typology. Detailed measured architectural drawings and physical models of differing scales, photographic documentations, archival documents from the Public Works Department (known today as the Architectural Services Department) and Public Records Office. The selection of these vertically-stacked, multi-functional civic buildings since 1999, raises an international awareness of the unique architectural heritage of Hong Kong, with the ongoing research presented in a forthcoming venue of an international platform.

Design Trust Seed Grant “4 Exchanges on a Hyper Specific Architectural Biotope” led by Charlotte Lafont-Hugo

Research films “4 Exchanges on a Hyper Specific Architectural Biotope” led by Charlotte Lafont-Hugo, photo courtesy of Charlotte Lafont-Hugo

Exhibition “BEAU 2014-2024”, photo courtesy of Charlotte Lafont-Hugo

Research films “4 Exchanges on a Hyper Specific Architectural Biotope” led by Charlotte Lafont-Hugo were showcased at the exhibition “BEAU 2014-2024” at Current Plans, Hong Kong in November 2024. The films documented four thematic discussions between four projects, including revitalisation of Tai Kwun Prison Yard and Cao Fei: Tidal Flux exhibition, offering a comprehension of Hong Kong’s architecture and design environment by decoding its milieu, history, morphologies, typologies, regulations, market and construction and their significant influence on the final production of the built environment. The resulting body of work is a careful deconstruction of interrelated facts, aspiring to foster an exchange of material sustainability on architecture within a Hong Kong urban context.

Design Trust Seed Grant “Pixelated Chronicles: Tales of Hong Kong Outlying Islands” led by Leroy Cheng and Vanessa Ma

“Pixelated Chronicles: Tales of Hong Kong Outlying Islands” led by Leroy Cheng and Vanessa Ma, photo courtesy of Leroy Cheng and Vanessa Ma.

Design Trust Seed Grant recipients Leroy Cheng and Vanessa Ma curated a series of interactive zine-making workshops, sharings, and talks, as well as island guided tours as part of their research exhibition “Pixelated Chronicles: Tales of Hong Kong Outlying Islands” at Wyndham Social from August to October 2024. The public programme invited participants from all walks of life, to explore the unique cultural heritage, environmental significance, and socioeconomic dynamics alongside the research exhibition unveiling the hidden stories of 263 islands of Hong Kong. With photograph documentation and artifacts, the exhibition discussed how islands, as city pixels, challenge traditional development concepts, awaken collective memories, and inspire reflection on how the city should be shaped.

Design Trust Seed Grant “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” led by Leyuan Li

Research exhibition “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” led by Leyuan Li, photos courtesy of Li Leyuan.

Research exhibition “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” led by Design Trust Seed Grant Recipient Leyuan Li was displayed at FEI Arts in Guangzhou, from September 21st to November 15th, 2024. As a continuation of its previous exhibition “Balchen” supported by Design Trust Seed Grant, at the 9th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in Shenzhen, the exhibition “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” features a series of greenhouse structure installation with moveable furniture that can be operated and rearranged to host different workshops and events, exploring the preparation and consumption of food and urban farming while facilitating social interactions to take place among visitors and local community. Sited in a mixed-use context of wetlands, farms and campus in Haizhu District of Guangzhou, the exhibition brought together local residents, designers and culinary experts to respond to food socialization through a roundtable sharing at its recent opening, and continues the discussion with ongoing workshops with the local community.

Design Trust Seed Grant “Breathing X: Atmosphere Architecture” led by Yixuan Cai

Research tour to Shenzhen Futian Mangrove Conservation Area with Zhou Haichao, Researcher at Key Laboratory for Geo-Environmental Monitoring of Greater Bay Area, photo courtesy of Cai Yixuan.

Research project “Breathing X: Atmosphere Architecture” led by Design Trust Seed Grant Recipient Yixuan Cai features a series of public programmes titled “Post Carbon: Carbon as Energy, Life and Currency”. By incorporating perspectives from ecology, material science, and product manufacturing, and by inviting the participation of social enterprises, non-profits, academic professionals, and sustainable enterprises, the project presents various pathways in the post-carbon process. Built upon site visits to Shenzhen Futian Mangrove Conservation Area, QingHai Solar Thermal Plants, and local sustainable enterprises in Hangzhou, a series of symposiums have been held including “Blue Carbon and Coastal Ecology” at Design Society in June, 2024, “Carbon and Digitalization” at Beijing 798 Cube in August, 2024 and “Green Carbon and Urban Metabolism” at BY ART MATTERS in Hangzhou in September, 2024, inviting more than 20 creatives, designers, curators, scientists and entrepreneurs to converse on the post-carbon future.

Design Trust Seed Grant “ISLAND LIGHTS” led by Chi Chun Tang & Leroy Yuen

Research interactive exhibition “ISLAND LIGHTS” led by Chi Chun Tang & Leroy Yuen, photo courtesy of Chi Chun Tang & Leroy Yuen

Research interactive exhibition “ISLAND LIGHTS” led by Design Trust Seed Grant recipients Chi Chun Tang & Leroy Yuen was on display at deTour 2024 at PMQ, Hong Kong from Thursday November 29th to Sunday December 15th. The project highlights approximately 200 islands of Hong Kong, bringing their stories to life at different scales. Presented as an interactive archive installation reminiscent of a laboratory shelf, the exhibition showcases the beauty of Hong Kong’s islands through projecting point cloud data of island topography obtained through aerial LiDAR technology. The motorised spotlights glide along the track, periodically pausing on different islands, as if illuminating the discovery of each island like guiding lights. The interactive archive of Hong Kong’s outlying islands invites visitors to zoom in and explore the rich island culture of our city.