The inaugural Open House Hong Kong welcoming thousands of visitors

The inaugural edition of Open House Hong Kong supported by Design Trust took place on the weekends of September 21^st-22^nd and 28^th -29^th 2024. This new festival showcased the rich architectural heritage of the city of Hong Kong providing 95 tours to around 50 sites and buildings across the city.  Design Trust is proud to support the Inaugural Open House Hong Kong 2024 with the first Design Trust Impact Grant, as part of Design Trust Decade programmes celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Design Trust and Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design since 2007. Design Trust Impact Grant supports public-facing and community-based projects led and driven by Design Trust grant recipients, fellows and mentees to advance their research supported by Design Trust to expand its knowledge impact. Engaging various stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as academic and industry experts with international exposure, the projects awarded benefit the public, and contribute to the critical research and experimentation while piloting innovative models of community engagement at different scales. As the inaugural partner, Design Trust is delighted to champion and unveil new interactions of our social, cultural and public realm to a wider audience through Open House Hong Kong.

The festival highlighted the remarkable cultural and architectural diversity of Hong Kong, allowing attendees to explore a range of building styles, including the Chinese Methodist Church designed by Wai Szeto at North Point exemplifying brutalism in Hong Kong from an in-depth study by Design Trust Feature Grant researcher Bob Pang, the public housing estates Clague Garden Estate and Cho Yiu Chuen guided by Design Trust Seed Grant recipients Rico Samuel Diedering and Pedram Ghelichi, whose grant research “Housing Re-public” reveals the emergence of a unique tower typology in which conventions of repetition and raw efficiency are replaced by diversity, flexibility and spatiality between the 1970s and 1990s, as well as Cheung Sha Wan Pier Canopy, designed by Design Trust Seed Grant recipients Paul Tse and Evelyn Ting’s New Office Works, and St. Paul's Catholic Day Nursery in Tai Po, by Design Trust Grant Recipient Eureka. Open House Hong Kong 2024 also featured the four micro-parks from Design Trust Future Studio, Hamilton Street Rest Garden, Portland Street Rest Garden, Sitting Out Area Under Flyover in Hill Road, and Yi Pei Square Playground, for the public to explore the vibrant community culture of Hong Kong.

Over the two weekends of festival, thousands of visitors have joined a total of 95 tours around Hong Kong. On the occasion of 10^th anniversary of Design Trust and the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design since 2007, Design Trust is the Inaugural Partner for the first Open House Hong Kong festival. The event is being organised by a dedicated committee of young Hong Kong-based enthusiasts who are passionate about showcasing the city's rich architectural legacy to both local and global audiences. This organising team is composed of experts and practitioners from various fields, including architects, educators, curators, scholars, and researchers, who are Kay Chan, Helen Fan, Charles Lai, Kevin Mak, Bob Pang and Sampson Wong from the Design Trust community. 94 volunteers from the public community and 60 expert docents from the academia and industry supported the festival unveiling the hidden stories behind more than 50 sites to the public.

Open House Worldwide is the non-profit organisation that has spearheaded the Open House model in over 50 cities globally since its founding in London in 1992. The goal of the Open House is to promote public awareness and appreciation of architecture and design. By providing free access to notable buildings, the festivals aim to engage local communities and visitors alike in experiencing the built environment first-hand.

Through this unique celebration of Hong Kong's architectural diversity, Open House Hong Kong provided an open, inclusive, and enlightening experience for all who attended. By granting public access to the city's built environment, the festival fostered a deeper appreciation for Hong Kong's rich cultural and design legacy, as well as stimulating discussions around the role of architecture in shaping urban life. With its inaugural edition in 2024, Open House Hong Kong will join a growing global network of Open House festivals that are redefining how the public engages with the spaces that define our cities.