In densely populated urban areas like Mong Kok, Hong Kong, the design of building facades plays a crucial role in enhancing both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of residential spaces. Incorporating projections and customizable elements into building facades offers...
Space Optimization:
Projections such as balconies and bay windows extend living areas, providing residents with private outdoor spaces that improve natural light and ventilation. This is particularly valuable in highdensity environments where interior space is limited.
Personalization and Identity:
Customizable facade elements allow residents to express individuality, fostering a sense of ownership and community identity.
For example, the use of adjustable shading devices or modular components enables occupants to tailor their living spaces to personal preferences.
Environmental Adaptability:
Dynamic facades can respond to environmental conditions, enhancing energy efficiency. Features like adjustable louvers or green walls can regulate solar gain and provide natural insulation, contributing to sustainable building practices.
Aesthetic
Enhancement:
Thoughtfully designed projections contribute to the building’s visual appeal, creating a dynamic streetscape that reflects the vibrant character of neighborhoods like Mong Kok.
With Mong Kok’s intense population density of approximately 130,000 residents per square kilometer, the district embodies the urban challenges and opportunities of hyper-dense living. The local demographic, primarily young professionals and small families, navigates fast-paced lifestyles and seeks housing that balances privacy, flexibility, and community interaction. This experimental tower addresses these needs by creating a plug-in architecture where residential units and facade elements can be adapted, tested, and personalized.
At its core, this project transforms the building into a plug-in tower that allows continuous modular swapping and configuration. The tower functions as a large-scale civic construction laboratory, where new spatial arrangements and facade elements are installed, assessed, and modified over time. This process creates a living system that collects data, fosters community engagement, and informs future urban policy and construction practices. The building serves as an urban observatory, merging real-time construction experimentation with data collection for predictive modeling.
Functional Layout
Modular Balconies
and
Projections
: Each residential unit includes customizable balconies and facade projections, which residents can configure for purposes such as shading, ventilation, and privacy. These elements can be reconfigured as needs evolve, allowing for a personalized and adaptable living experience.
Common Experimental Spaces
: The tower incorporates shared spaces every few floors, such as communal kitchens and lounges, designed as experimental social zones. These areas are strategically modified over time to study community dynamics, fostering a responsive environment where social engagement patterns inform future architectural design.
Flexible
Unit Configurations
: Units are designed with modular interiors that allow residents to adjust layouts according to lifestyle preferences. This flexibility not only adapts to the current needs of residents but also supports longterm experimentation with residential typologies.
Facade
Design: The facade functions as an adaptive canvas, featuring modular panels, shading devices, and green walls that can be adjusted based on solar exposure, privacy needs, and occupant preferences. This modular design allows the facade to evolve, testing new materials and configurations over time. The building itself becomes a visual marker
of innovation in Mong Kok, reflecting the individuality of residents and the adaptability of urban living.
Sustainability is embedded in the design through energy-efficient modular systems, green balconies, and roof gardens that help mitigate the urban heat island effect. Adaptive elements like rainwater harvesting and solar panels contribute to the tower’s low environmental impact, while data gathered from the tower supports ongoing improvements in resource efficiency.
The 9A Soy Street plug-in tower exemplifies a new building typology where architecture acts as a dynamic, data-driven system. By serving as an experimental platform, this tower not only enhances residents’ urban living experience but also provides a framework for data-informed policy-making in urban development. This project envisions a future where cities are shaped by flexible, responsive structures that evolve in tandem with their inhabitants and surroundings, setting a precedent for adaptive, research-driven architecture across Hong Kong.
VIEWING PLATFORM 'SITE' TO 'SIGHT'
1.1 | Balcony Codes and Spatial Constraints
First Phase Early Stages 1960s
Wealthy people were willing to pay extra for spacious indoor/outdoor areas, leading to the popularity of verandas.
Early Stages
Second phase Bay Window 1970s/1980s
As the population surged and living conditions became cramped, maximizing indoor space became a priority. In public housing estates, verandas were often fenced off, re ecting the operable/customizable nature of balconies. The bay window emerged as a solution, being treated as an internal space that was less likely to be modi ed illegally.
Third Phase Environmental Awareness 1990s
The government started enforcing the de nition of balconies, restricting enclosure modi cations. Developers began negotiating with the government to combine utility platforms and balconies for calculation purposes.
Fourth Phase Market-Oriented Shift 2000s
Policies began to encourage balcony construction through incentives. This approach proved effective as developers could construct basic balconies but still sell all the balcony area, effectively lowering construction costs.
Verandah-type shophouses, 618 Shanghai Street
Early Stages (1960s): Wealthy residents desired
verandas for a mix of indoor/outdoor living.
2. Secondary Stage (1970s/80s): Increasing population density led to balconies being enclosed, re ecting a push for interior space. Bay windows became common.
The Monarch's Balcony (Mughal and Renaissance periods): Balconies were symbols of royal prerogative, used for ceremonies and as signs of power (e.g., Mughal jharokas, Venetian opera boxes).
Middle-Class Diffusion (19th Century Europe): Balconies shifted from symbols of monarchy to features of urban living. Haussmann’s Paris emphasized uniform facades with ornamental balconies for aesthetics and function.
3. Environmental Awareness (1990s): Balconies were rede ned as semi-outdoor spaces to encourage environmental bene ts. Restrictions limited enclosure, promoting ventilation and greenery.
Socialist Balconies (Post-WWII Vienna): Balconies in mass housing (e.g., Karl-Marx-Hof) were democratized, designed for ventilation, sunlight, and connection to the urban environment.
4. Market-Oriented Shift (2000s): Balconies became incentives for developers, with relaxed GFA rules allowing developers to market larger balconies while reducing construction costs.
Luxury Balconies (Globalization and Modern Era): High-rise condos introduced "symbolic balconies" as luxury features, often detached from urban engagement, emphasizing private leisure and status.
Both balconies served as exclusive, highly visible spaces for af uent individuals. In both cases, the balcony acted as a semi-public yet private extension, representing status and luxury. However, while historical balconies were heavily symbolic, Hong Kong verandas were functional, blending leisure and ventilation.
In both cases, balconies were adapted for broader accessibility and functional living. In Hong Kong, balconies were converted into practical spaces, while in Paris, they retained their semi-decorative nature. The focus shifted from exclusivity to utility, though aesthetic considerations remained prominent in European examples.
Both contexts recognized the environmental and social bene ts of balconies. In Hong Kong, policies aimed to prevent enclosure and promote openness. Similarly, socialist-era balconies emphasized communal and health-oriented living, with an architectural focus on access to air and light.
Both contexts highlight the commodi cation of balconies. In Hong Kong, balconies became a tool for maximizing marketability. Similarly, global luxury balconies became symbols of af uence, focusing more on private amenities than interaction with the city or environment. Comparison and Analysis
Juxtaposition of Hong Kong's Balcony Evolution with Historical Balcony Typologies
The Monarch's Balcony
Middle-Class Diffusion (19th Century Europe)
Socialist Balconies (Post-WWII Vienna)
Luxury Balconies (Globalization and Modern Era) Hong Kong Stage
Hong Kong Stage
Historical Balcony Typology
1.
spacious
Historical Balcony Typology
Juxtaposition of Hong Kong's Balcony Evolution with Historical Balcony Typologies
The Physical and Regulartory Space: Site Coverage (BPR First Schedule), Plot Ratio (BPR First Schedule), Building Height (OZP), Class C Site (BPR)
Possible site elements that balcony could contend with as a
| Understanding and framing the “design space”
Possible
Frivolou
Balc onyBalcony Beauty
Railing, Haussmannian Grey Elephant, Wraparound Balconies, S anatorium, Sleeping Balcony, Window Tent Arengario, cal Balcony, Jumbotr on, Ecuad orian Embass y, Casa del Fascio, Lenin Tribune Palazzo
Haussmannian Grey Elephant Wraparound Balconies, Sanatorium, Sleeping Balcony, Window Tent Arengario cal Balcony, botr on, Ecua dori
Balcony Balcony, Beauty Railing, Haussmannian Grey Ele - phant, Wraparound Balconies, Sanatorium, Sleeping Balcony, Window Tent, Arengario,Political Balcony,botron, Ecuador - ian Embassy, Casa del Fascio, Lenin Tribune, Palazzo Venezia St. Peter's Balcony, Cada Rosada, Karl Liebknecht Portal, Open Air Therapy, Loggia, Fascist Era Architecture, Cantilever, Proletariat, Frivolous Appendage, False Appetizer, Indeterminate Status, Childish Boldness of Construction, Symbolic Hierarchy Transformational Balcony, Curved Facade, Aural Range, Projection, Commanding Heights, Modernist Framework, Propaganda Decoration, Facade Line, Mass Gatherings, Plutocratic Democracies, Monumental Axis, Urbi et Orbi, Rationalist Architecture, RevolutionaryAspirations.Balconism, Relentless fearless emancipa- tion, Digital exposure, Subjectivity, Balcony is connecting, Universal access, Public platform, Permanent audience, Intersection of public and private, Social network, Gallery, Balustrade, Broadcast individual identity Encapsulation of digital identity,
1614 St. Peter's, Vatican.
1926 Bauhaus, Dessau.
Palazzo Venuzia, Rome.
This investigation aligns with the regulatory theme of the course, exploring the interaction between design space, regulatory space, and physical space. Environmental analysis often reduces sustainability to an add-on feature, a reactive measure to "proof" a given scheme. Like balconies, environmental philosophy is frequently overshadowed by programmatic demands and perceived as con icting with development potential and density. However, if these elements could be seamlessly integrated, they could provide a powerful foundation for innovative and sustainable design.
Integration of Environmental Design
Like a balcony, environmental philosophy is regularly overshadowed by programmatic concerns, seemingly in natural opposition to development potential and density. However, if these elements could be integrated, they might serve as an excellent starting point for design.
Integration of Environmental Design
Horizontal radial Sky exposure
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Hyper Cellularity, Multiplied ad In nitum over the surface, inhabitable viewing frames "Every platform—online and otherwise—is in effect a balcony, with universal access and a permanent audience for the unfolding of our subjectivity."
Balcony Parameters Energy Ef ciency
Systematic Optimization based on key ndings
Optimized Balcony Design Enhanced Comfort
View Analysis Ladybug Parameter Pruning
Iterative Testing
Genetic Algorithm
Multi-objective
Wallacei
Galapagos
Simulations
"Using AI and Design Space Exploration (DSE) within the framework of physical, regulatory, and design spaces, the project aims to redefine balcony design as a response to systemic architectural imbalances."
In land-scarce Hong Kong, where views equate to value, the balcony becomes the canary in the coal mine, signaling the prioritization of profit over thoughtful design.
'BALCONY' THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT
1926
2009 Aqua Tower, Chicago.
Mediators of the Outside World
Trüby, Stephan. Elements of Architecture: An Introduction. Art Papers, Mar/Apr 2014, pp. LVI–LVII.
"What this book investigates is how the key functional components of the house – elements of architecture – accrue outsize psychic and symbolic clout while constantly evolving aesthetically, culturally, and technologically, as a solution to the bedeviling problems that come along with living in enclosed worlds. Since the first domestication, elements has always been tasked with mediating or repelling an aspect of the outside world. The four classical elements of nature conceived by Empedocles (5th century BC) pitted against the four ‘original’ elements of architecture assumed by Gottfried Semper (1851):
BALCONY vs. VIEW
Empedocles vs. Semper
earth vs. mound (floor) wind vs. enclosure (wall) water vs. roof fire vs. hearth (fireplace)"
Symbol of power, controlled vantage, political heart Democratic panorama, rhythmic framing, urban vision
Palazzo Venuzia, Rome.
St. Peter's, Vatican.
Spiritual spectacle, divine view, human congregation
View Study - 36m
PANORAMA OF MODERN LIFE
At 36m, the height surpasses most old shophouses but remains below newer residential towers. This level represents a transition space, balancing commercial podiums and mid-range residences. The challenge lies in ensuring visual comfort for occupants while preserving the historical richness and variety of older surroundings. Balconies play a pivotal role here, optimizing views for residents while offering visual relief to those looking toward the building.
DIAGRAM建玲OR肖永峰
View Study - 80m
VERTIGO: FAIR GAME
At 80m, the height dominates the skyline, surrounded by dense clusters of new developments. The historical texture of lower levels gives way to a pure visual competition, where expansive layouts and purchasing power dictate the hierarchy of views. At this level, balconies become strategic vantage points, maximizing prime sightlines and engaging in a dynamic interplay of perspectives.
Elliptical Tower
Maximized Views
An elliptical tower is a logical response to achieve two key objectives: maximizing panoramic views and minimizing frontages to neighboring buildings. This approach is particularly effective in a Class C site like Mongkok, where three façades face significant proximity challenges in a dense rectangular grid context. In this configuration, the unit itself becomes a view generator, prioritizing strategic orientation to optimize visual access.
Basic Massing: Visual Real Estate
Site Context and Analysis
Using Grasshopper and Ladybug tools, the site’s building heights and constraints are analyzed to simulate view accessibility across levels. These inputs align with development guidelines, establishing a baseline for understanding the physical space and its regulatory context.
View Roses
The simulation generates view roses, 3D plates mapping the horizontal visual real estate from the site. These highlight the façade’s visual potential, guiding balcony placement to optimize views while integrating design, regulatory, and aesthetic considerations.
Scaling View Roses to Site Coverage Limits
The view analysis at each height is scaled to match the maximum buildable area on that floor, adhering to the site coverage requirements outlined in the first schedule of the Building (Planning) Regulations (BPR). This ensures that the generated view roses align with both regulatory constraints and design objectives, integrating visual potential with permissible building mass.
Basic Massing: Visual Real Estate
Integrating Environmental Analysis into Visual Form-Finding
With the ability to perform visual form-finding, the design process evolves beyond basic massing to incorporate environmental analysis from the outset. By encoding maximum developable area and environmental considerations into the initial design stages, this approach ensures that sustainability and context-driven design are intrinsic rather than treated as afterthoughts.
Evaluating Balconies and Redefining Standards
Towards a Parameterized Design Approach
The next step involves parameterizing balconies to dynamically respond to surrounding conditions. In hyper-dense contexts, traditional site analysis tools like visual corridors or strategies to “hide” from neighboring buildings become irrelevant—there is no hiding at this density. Instead, façades must embrace a higher level of play, shifting towards façade expression that reflects the identity of being seen and seeing others, creating a dialogue with the surrounding urban fabric.
TRUE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRATION
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Hyper Cellularity, Multiplied ad In nitum over the surface, inhabitable viewing frames "Every platform—online and otherwise—is in effect a balcony, with universal access and a permanent audience for the unfolding of our subjectivity."
Systematic Optimization based on key ndings
| Views Worth Their Weight in Gold
‘Site Analysis’ to ‘Sight Analysis’
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Hyper Cellularity, Multiplied ad In nitum over the surface, inhabitable viewing frames "Every platform—online and otherwise—is in effect a balcony, with universal access and a permanent audience for the unfolding of our subjectivity."
01 Establishing a Methodology for Design Space Exploration:
The visual workflow, from site analysis to view analysis and algorithmic optimization, is structured to demonstrate how design space is explored and formed. The focus lies in methodological validation, providing a clear, replicable process that guides the design toward an informed and systematic solution.
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Systematic Optimization based on key ndings
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Hyper Cellularity, Multiplied ad In nitum over the surface, inhabitable viewing frames "Every platform—online and otherwise—is in effect a balcony, with universal access and a permanent audience for the unfolding of our subjectivity."
The visual workflow, from site analysis to view analysis and algorithmic optimization, is structured to demonstrate how design space is explored and formed. The focus lies in methodological validation, providing a clear, replicable process that guides the design toward an informed and systematic solution.
01
| ‘Extra Room’: From Metrics to Meaning 3.3 | Unit Design: Iterative Models and Prototyping
01
This step focuses on refining the physical model by incorporating human considerations to identify optimal design solutions. Afterward, floor plans, including logistics, room layouts, and circulation, are developed to generate the building massing, which already integrates balcony design and site-specific considerations, resulting in an effective and practical solution.
01 Refining Structural Design and Canyon Spaces:
After finalizing the design, the focus shifts to structural detailing and optimizing the treatment of canyon spaces. The advantage of the fanshaped floor plan is its flexibility— allowing rotations or twists without compromising the desired angles or functionality.
01 Maximizing Balcony Impact for Large Units @1:50 For larger units, balconies emphasize spaciousness and visual grandeur, enhancing the property’s value through competitive and striking views. In areas with less favorable views, offset or fragmented balcony designs are introduced. This approach maintains balcony area while preserving indoor privacy and ensuring the interior experience remains unaffected, striking a balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal.
THE ALGORITHMIC BALCONY
DIAGRAM建玲OR肖永峰
Regulatory/Normative Space Tilted to Physical Space
Hyper Cellularity, Multiplied ad In nitum over the surface, inhabitable viewing frames "Every platform—online and otherwise—is in effect a balcony, with universal access and a permanent audience for the unfolding of our subjectivity." Genetic Algorithm Multi-objective
Systematic Optimization based on key ndings Optimized
DIAGRAM建玲OR肖永峰
01 Integrating Environmental Evaluation with Policy
This approach ties environmental evaluation closely to regulatory constraints and the physical qualities of the space. By aligning environmental considerations with building regulations, this method ensures that environmental constraints are not just abstract metrics but directly influence the design and materialization of building components, fostering a more integrated and sustainable approach to architecture.
Regulatory Space Overload Massing Model
Regulatory-Driven Massing: Site Coverage + Height Limits = Massing
Parametric Balcony Variations in Traditional Massing
Parametric Balconies with Traditional Massing: Curves + Varying Balcony Depths = Afterthought
Environmentally Integrated Massing with View Analysis
Integrated Massing with View Analysis: Views + Envs Data + Regulations = Optimized Massing
00 Environmental Constraints in Building Design
Through this framework, environmental constraints are seamlessly incorporated into the architectural process, transforming them into actionable elements within the design. This integration bridges the gap between policy-making, spatial qualities, and construction practices, allowing buildings to reflect both regulatory compliance and environmental sensitivity in their physical form.
PROPOSED REGULATIONS BASED ON THE DISCUSSION
Policy and Regulatory Impacts:
With the 2000s bringing incentivedriven policies for balcony construction, how effective were these in balancing cost reductions with the enhancement of living quality? Can designing through algorithms and data-driven decisions be a way to quantify these results?
A framework focusing on the balcony’s role as a mediator of views, setting standards for maximizing visual access while balancing density and privacy.
Balcony as a Plot:
If balconies were treated as a micro “First Schedule” plot, how might this encourage better design and integration of light, view, and noise standards?
What design strategies or metrics could be implemented to better score balcony performance, particularly in terms of visual access, environmental impact, and user experience?
A policy that incentivizes balconies as functional elements of architecture, addressing both livability and environmental responsiveness.
Balcony Typologies:
Should balcony regulations vary across Class A, B, and C sites, and if so, how could these typologies address specific challenges such as density, proximity, and view access?
How can the idea of balcony plots incentivize architects and developers to go beyond basic compliance and innovate balcony design for dense urban environments like Hong Kong?
Flexible regulations that adapt to site typologies (Class A, B, C) and encourage innovative balcony design tailored to urban density challenges.
Future Standards:
Given the increasing density of urban environments, could a datadriven balcony framework (e.g., view, light, and noise metrics) set a new standard for balcony design?
How might balcony regulations adapt to address climate change, sustainability, and the evolving needs of urban residents?
A system treating balconies as micro-plots, defining their size, function, and contribution to environmental and social goals.
Historical Evolution of Balconies:
How did the shift from verandalike spaces in the 60s to fencedoff balconies in the 70s and 80s reflect societal changes in Hong Kong, such as population surges and living conditions?
How has the customizable and operable nature of balconies influenced their regulation and perception over time?
A regulation to standardize and score balcony performance in high-density urban contexts.
APPENDIX
1. BASIC DISTRIBUTION
2. STACK OF DIFFERENT FLOOR PLATES
3. STAGGERING STACKS OF DIFFERENT FLOOR PLATES
4. TRANSPARENT
1. BALCONY EXTRUSION: VIEW INTERFERENCE
2. BUILDING VOLUMN VS. SLAB
3. TAPERED VALLEY
4. TRANSPARENT COLUMN
EW AXIS - SINGLE UNIT
NS AXIS - SINGLE UNIT
EW AXIS - COMBINED UNIT
NS AXIS - COMBINED UNIT
SINGLE FLOOR - COMBINED UNIT
DOUBLE FLOOR - COMBINED UNIT
Elements of Architecture
The concept of analyzing architecture as a collection of fragmented elements, or a "kit of parts," is central to this book and resonates strongly with my own approach to architectural analysis. In this framework, architecture is understood not as a monolithic entity but as a composition of individual components whose combinations create the built form.
to achieve particular aesthetic and functional outcomes.
This perspective is particularly useful for my work, as I approach architectural analysis through a similar lens, focusing on discrete elements and their roles in shaping a structure’s form, function, and visual identity. My analysis extends to both formal and informal architectural parts—elements such as verandas, balconies, patios, louvers, gable walls, windows, curtain walls, eaves, cornices, and decorative details like brows and candle peaks. Some of these components are formally recognized within architectural codes and regulations, while others exist outside formal recognition but nonetheless contribute significantly to a building’s character and functionality. In examining these components, I focus on the geometric transformations and visual treatments applied to each part, exploring how shapes are manipulated, scaled, and arranged
Additionally, I consider how these elements are assigned specific roles within the structure, either enhancing its usability or contributing to its visual narrative. For instance, verandas and balconies might be designed for exterior viewing, but also serve as transitional spaces, negotiating the interior and exterior realms. Louvers, on the other hand, fulfill both a shading function and a visual rhythm that defines the facade’s texture and depth. Furthermore, each element’s function is mathematically defined, analyzed, and calculated within the building’s overall design strategy.
This method allows me to see each component not only in isolation but as an integral part of a larger architectural system, where each element’s geometry, function, and regulatory standing contribute to the identity and performance of the entire structure. This analytical approach, grounded in a "kit of parts," provides a structured way to dissect architecture and deeply understand how its elements come together to create cohesive, functional spaces. Reading 1
Koolhaas, Rem, et al. Elements of Architecture. Cologne: Taschen, 2018.
• ARCH7378: Topics in Architectural Technologies - How to Explore Almost Any Computational Design Spaces
• ARCH7476: Generative Design in Architecture - Go Beyond Resembling
Kam-Ming Mark Tam, “ARCH7378: Topics in Architectural Technologies - How to Explore Almost Any Computational Design Spaces,” course syllabus, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Fall 2024
Kaicong Wu, “ARCH7476: Generative Design in Architecture - Go Beyond Resembling,” course syllabus, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Fall 2024
The ARCH7378: Topics in Architectural Technologies course, taught by Kam-Ming Mark Tam at the University of Hong Kong, explores advanced computational design methods for sustainable architecture. Focused on how computational tools can reduce the environmental impact of buildings, the course introduces students to optimization, machine learning, and performance-driven design strategies. Students engage with structural analysis, design space navigation, and innovative problemsolving approaches, aiming to enhance their capabilities in creating high-performance designs.
The courses "Topics in Architectural Technologies" and "Generative Design in Architecture," taught by Kam-Ming Mark Tam and Kaicong Wu, respectively, provided a theoretical foundation for establishing frameworks within computational design spaces. They emphasized setting quantifiable computational parameters, evaluation criteria, and optimization strategies. This approach, while rooted in computational contexts, offers valuable insights applicable to traditional design practices, particularly in structuring design processes and decision-making.
The ARCH7476: Generative Design in Architecture course, led by Kaicong Wu, delves into generative AI and computational modeling in architecture. This seminar covers techniques like form finding, morphological computing, and neural networks, empowering students to create design solutions using AI-driven processes. By examining methods beyond traditional design, the course encourages critical thinking about how generative design can go beyond imitation, fostering a collaborative solutionseeking approach in architectural practice.
The Making of Hong Kong: From Vertical to Volumetric. (香港造城記：從垂直到立體之城)
This book provides a comprehensive exploration of how Hong Kong's architecture has evolved in response to its growing population and unique urban challenges. The book examines the shift from a purely vertical approach to one that incorporates a volumetric understanding of building forms. It delves into how Hong Kong’s buildings became broader, sturdier, and more complex over time, balancing verticality with spatial density and volumetric considerations. This analysis is invaluable for my research, as it gives insight into the physical and regulatory factors that shaped the early structures currently on the site.
One of the book's key points is that architectural regulations in Hong Kong have historically prioritized uniformity, order, and alignment in the urban skyline rather than interior livability or user-centric design. This focus reflects an architectural modernist obsession with clean, standardized forms, which the authors argue has influenced Hong Kong’s built environment significantly. Understanding these early design principles and regulatory drivers helps explain the appearance and form of existing buildings on
my site, highlighting how external pressures shaped their aesthetic rather than internal functionality.
The book also suggests that starting with the building facade as a focal point can reveal much about Hong Kong’s architectural trajectory. Facades often embody the prevailing architectural ideologies and regulatory constraints of their time, showcasing how density, volume, and verticality have adapted in response to growing urban pressures. This perspective helps identify recurring trends in Hong Kong’s architectural history, such as the pursuit of ever-higher density, as well as the evolving needs of residents faced with specific historical contexts.
Overall, the book's exploration of the interplay between form, regulation, and urban growth offers a valuable foundation for my study, allowing me to trace how Hong Kong's architecture has responded to changing population demands and regulatory frameworks. It underscores the significance of understanding external influences on building forms, particularly when examining structures that continue to shape the city’s landscape.
Frampton, Adam, Jonathan D. Solomon, and Clara Wong. The Making of Hong Kong: From Vertical to Volumetric. London: Routledge, 2010.
*The Tower of Choices: Hong Kong Housing Beyond Uniformity* is a fascinating collection of essays that dives deeply into the unique and challenging environment of Hong Kong’s high-density housing landscape. Each essay explores a specific theme, peeling back layers of the "city of repetition" to examine the often harsh realities of life in these intense urban housing environments, sometimes referred to as the “housing of sadness.” The book discusses how architectural and regulatory changes have shaped housing trends in Hong Kong over time, providing both historical context and insight into the complex relationship between policy and architectural form.
One key focus of the book is on major changes to Hong Kong’s building regulations and their influence on architectural trends, including the rise of marketdriven balconies. For example, it highlights how the Joint Practice Notes (JPN01) on sustainability encouraged developers to use only 50% of site coverage while still achieving 100% of saleable area. This regulation allowed developers to maximize revenue while ostensibly promoting sustainable practices. However, the book also critiques less rational guidelines, such as the vague regulations
governing the distance between utility platforms and balconies, which can create inconsistencies in building designs.
Another significant contribution of this reading is its clear, structured breakdown of conditions unique to Hong Kong. Concepts such as the “cake and candle” typology, the 15-meter height restriction, the 300 mm extension beyond built structures, sky gardens, and new sustainability guidelines are all contextualized within the broader framework of Hong Kong's urban landscape. This broad overview is essential for architects and designers as it prevents them from getting lost in unnecessary typological distinctions and instead grounds their designs in the reality of Hong Kong’s building environment.
Ultimately, *The Tower of Choices* provides a framework that helps inform my approach to assessing functionality and data requirements for my project. By establishing a strong understanding of Hong Kong's specific regulations and architectural nuances, I can approach my final project’s impact, scoring, and code-to-code operations with a more accurate, holistic, and meaningful perspective.
Maas, Winy, Tihamér Salij, and Martine Vledder. Towers of Choices: Hong Kong Housing Beyond Uniformity. Rotterdam: nai010 publishers, 2019.
Towers of Choices: Hong Kong Housing Beyond Uniformity
Hong Kong as Asian Culture of Congestion (隐形逻辑：香港，亚洲式拥挤文化的典型)
Zhang, Weiping. Invisible Logic: Hong Kong as Asian Culture of Congestion (隐形逻辑： 香港，亚洲式拥挤文化的典型) . Nanjing: Southeast University Press, 2009.
"Invisible Logic: Hong Kong as an Asian Culture of Congestion" explores the unique, often unseen reasoning behind Hong Kong's urban form and its relationship with congestion. The book draws parallels to Rem Koolhaas's *Delirious New York*, where the concept of a "culture of congestion" originates, and takes inspiration from Koolhaas’s analytical approach in *Elements of Architecture*. This work, however, focuses on a distinctly Hong Kong-centered logic, examining how density is perceived and managed in the city's context. Through a wide-ranging analysis, the author suggests a concept of "HongKong-ism"—a way of thinking about urban density that goes beyond the Western emphasis on comfort, low density, and ample green space.
The writing challenges the assumption that higher density is inherently negative. It repositions architects as key players in shaping creative solutions to real-world challenges, urging them to question existing conventions and find ways to improve urban life rather than adhering to outdated architectural dogmas. By re-evaluating the role of density, Hong Kong is portrayed not as a victim
of overcrowding but as a positive example of how extreme urban conditions can give rise to innovative solutions. The author suggests that Hong Kong, with its extreme density, has developed alternative urban behaviors and structures that are both pragmatic and insightful, showcasing a city that operates with its own "invisible logic."
This "invisible logic" manifests in various architectural and urban strategies that counter the traditional Western ideals of urban planning. For example, Hong Kong’s balconies and building facades are not mere aesthetic additions but functional elements shaped by the need for adaptability in a dense, space-constrained environment. The book argues that Hong Kong’s architectural practices, which embrace extreme density, offer a distinct Asian perspective and serve as a broader example of how cities can develop their own logic. This perspective allows a shift away from the conventional critique of high-density environments as unpleasant or nightmarish, advocating instead for a deeper, more rational understanding of the innovative and resilient qualities that define Hong Kong's urban fabric.
• Building (Planning) Regulations (Cap. 123F)
• Practice Notes for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers (PNAP)
• Joint Practice Notes (JPN)
• What the Code?
Building (Planning) Regulations (Cap. 123F). Hong Kong e-Legislation.
Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/ hk/cap123F.
Practice Notes for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers (PNAP) Buildings Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/ resources/codes-and-references/practice-notes-and-circularletters/index_pnap.html.
Joint Practice Notes (JPN). Planning Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.pland.gov.hk/ pland_en/tech_doc/joint_pn/index.html.
Kirchhoff, Ulrich, and Fai Au. “What the Code?” Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.arch.hku.hk/ gallery/arch/what-the-code/.
In our studio, we conducted a comprehensive review and categorization of current Hong Kong building regulations, focusing on documents such as the Building (Planning) Regulations (Cap. 123F), Joint Practice Notes (JPN), and Practice
Notes for Authorized Persons and Registered Structural Engineers (PNAP). My analysis centered on the "building envelope" section, examining the terminology and specific numerical standards within these regulations.
The regulations have a structured logic, recognizing certain architectural components while omitting others, and assigning specific terms to various elements. Additionally, they define precise measurements, such as allowable projections and areas eligible for exemptions, which directly influence building forms.
These insights inform my design and analysis in two ways: Conceptual Design: By understanding regulatory definitions of terms like "warmth," "openness," and "protection," I can parameterize these concepts to optimize design conditions.
Functional Analysis: Recognizing the gray areas in traditional building functions allows for datadriven reorganization and renaming of functional distributions, leading to a more logical and efficient design process.
The book uses original drawings, diagrams, and photographs to delve into the evolution and complexities of Hong Kong's dense private housing estates. The book highlights how these highdensity developments reflect social, economic, and regulatory changes over time, with a particular focus on the role of balconies as an architectural and social element. In the 1960s, balconies were seen as a luxury, and wealthier residents were willing to pay extra for outdoor spaces. By the 1970s and 80s, as living spaces became smaller and more people were squeezed into limited urban areas, the function of balconies shifted. They were increasingly enclosed or absorbed into interior spaces to create additional living room, revealing their value as a flexible, though dispensable, space in tight quarters.
In the 1990s, with the rise of environmental awareness, regulations began to limit balcony enclosures, introducing requirements that at least two sides remain open. This led to developers merging balcony spaces with utility platforms to optimize sellable area, prompting negotiations with the government for exemptions. By the 2000s, the marketization of housing led to today’s granular
approach to balcony design, where each balcony’s dimensions and uses are calculated for maximum efficiency, reflecting both market demands and regulatory adjustments.
This analysis is valuable for my approach to "codeto-code" operations, particularly in understanding how policy-making impacts architectural design and spatial planning. For example, the book discusses three types of balconies—small, medium, and large—each with distinct regulations regarding exemptions and site coverage. A medium-sized balcony (5 to 10 square meters) qualifies for a 75% coverage reduction, while a small balcony (2 to 5 square meters) receives a 50% reduction, and large balconies (over 10 square meters) are exempt entirely from coverage calculations. Understanding these distinctions and their historical development helps inform my project’s operational framework, allowing me to evaluate design choices with greater clarity and align them with regulatory incentives. This nuanced perspective ensures that my design not only complies with existing codes but also leverages them to create efficient, marketable, and sustainable housing solutions.
Carlow, Jason F., and Christian J. Lange. Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong’s Private Housing Estates Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, 2024.
Hong Kong’s Private Housing Estates
VARY (STRONG) | Upcycling Public Housing via AI
Christian J. Lange and Mono Tung, “ VARY (STRONG) | Upcycling Public Housing via AI,” studio brief, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Fall 2024.
Hanyu Yang, “CHOI-HUNG: A Facade Recomposition,” VARY (STRONG) | Upcycling Public Housing via AI studio, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Fall 2024.
Tian Sheng, “Semantic Constructs and Syntax of Spaces: The Linguistics of Architecture in Choi Hung,” VARY (STRONG) | Upcycling Public Housing via AI studio, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Fall 2024.
In my first-year studio course on upcycling public housing through AI, led by Christian Lang (author of *Cities of Repetition*), we explored how AI could transform the typology of public housing.
Together with my colleagues, we developed methods to capture and reinterpret the existing visual language of our site, breaking down its elements level by level to create new facade components. Using AI tools made it intuitive to classify and translate these visual elements into architectural components aligned with our design intentions.
We experimented with different architectural qualities, such as opacity, perforation, natural integration, and customization, using AI to iterate on each aspect seamlessly.
This approach allowed us to merge the existing character of the site with fresh, adaptable designs that reimagine the building’s interaction with its surroundings. The project highlighted AI’s potential in design, especially for reinterpreting complex architectural languages and creating adaptable, visually engaging elements.
Christian J. Lange, Mono Tung
305 56 Leonard Street, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, skillfully responds to the urban fabric and street grid of Lower Manhattan, echoing the tightly knit, densely packed urban planning seen in areas like Mong Kok. The building’s design features unit compositions typical of local real estate, arranged in a pixel-like fashion around a central core. This arrangement creates unique layouts for each apartment and enables varied combinations of setbacks across floors, enhancing the visual depth and perspective from street level. Each story forms different patterns that shift and stack in dynamic ways, adding a sculptural quality to the building's overall silhouette.
One of the key architectural strategies of 56 Leonard Street is the way it manipulates volumetric shifts, giving the tower a sense of movement and fluidity. The setback terraces that result from these shifts extend beyond the slab edges, creating intimate outdoor spaces for residents while breaking up the tower’s mass. These terraces provide a rhythmic interplay between solid and void, contributing to a design that feels open and inviting despite the building’s substantial height.
At street level, the base of the building engages directly with pedestrians, featuring public spaces and an iconic Anish Kapoor sculpture. This base integrates the tower into the surrounding streetscape, inviting passerby interaction and adding a cultural landmark to the neighborhood. The sculpture and public areas at the base foster a sense of connection with the street, grounding the building in its context while offering an approachable transition between the public and private realms.
Through these design elements—shifting volumes, layered setbacks, and engaging public spaces—305 56 Leonard Street exemplifies a thoughtful architectural response to its environment. Herzog & de Meuron’s design captures the energy of Lower Manhattan’s streets while introducing a unique architectural form that feels both integrated with and distinct from its urban surroundings. This approach not only celebrates the local cityscape but also reimagines the potential of high-rise residential design in dense urban environments.
305 56 Leonard Street
Herzog & de Meuron
Architecture of Density
Michael Wolf's photographic series, "Architecture of Density," is a seminal work that vividly captures the visual impact of Hong Kong's high-density urban environment. Through his lens, Wolf presents the city's towering residential blocks as expansive, repetitive facades, highlighting both the overwhelming scale and the intricate details of urban life.
While the uniformity of these structures is striking, a closer examination reveals the diverse and vibrant ways residents personalize their spaces, infusing individuality into the collective architectural landscape.
This series has been a significant influence on my academic journey. During my application to the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program at the University of Hong Kong in 2015, I created a portfolio titled "City of Sameness," drawing inspiration from Wolf's exploration of uniformity and diversity within urban settings.
After completing my Bachelor of Environment at the University of Melbourne 2020 and returning to the University of Hong Kong in 2023 to pursue a Master of Architecture untill 2025, Wolf's picture acts as sort of a decade mark on this progression / full-circle moment, reconnecting with the themes that initially sparked my interest in architecture. Wolf's work continues to inform my understanding of how dense urban environments can simultaneously embody uniformity and individuality, shaping my approach to architectural design and analysis.
Michael Wolf
The U.S. Bank Tower serves as a compelling case study in how building massing and facade treatment can address views, granularity, and repetition in highrise design. The building’s architecture fragments balconies and facade elements into fine details, establishing a repetitive design language that maximizes usable space but at times sacrifices diversity in spatial experience and can even present a monotonous appearance from the street. This approach prioritizes extended and maximized spaces over a visually varied exterior, creating a consistent aesthetic but one that may come across as mundane or overly uniform.
However, a deeper look at the U.S. Bank Tower’s design and construction process reveals a complex hierarchy of design decisions that balance functionality with aesthetic goals. Throughout the conceptual, schematic, and development phases, diverse solutions to facade and massing challenges emerge, shaped by both structural and aesthetic considerations. This layered approach allows for a gradual refinement of balcony and facade elements, ensuring that these features are not simply afterthoughts added at the final stages but are
integral to the building’s massing strategy from the outset.
Navigating through each stage of the design process—from initial massing to detailed fabrication—highlights the potential for balconies and other facade components to evolve as integral parts of the architectural language rather than secondary elements. This iterative process emphasizes the importance of exploring variables early in the design phase to create a cohesive outcome that balances form, function, and aesthetic intent. For my own exploration, this case study underscores the importance of considering these elements at the massing stage rather than as isolated components later in the design. It demonstrates how an intentional, iterative design process can create a building that feels cohesive, well-integrated, and responsive to its urban context, even within the constraints of repetitive or uniform facade treatments. By studying the U.S. Bank Tower, I gain insight into how granular elements like balconies can be woven into a high-rise’s massing strategy, enhancing both functionality and design integrity.
The U.S. Bank Tower
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
The Opus Tower in Hong Kong, designed by Frank Gehry, demonstrates a unique approach to integrating balconies into the building’s mass. Unlike traditional designs where balconies might appear as add-ons, here they are a seamless part of the building’s core structure. In plan view, the design reveals organic shapes—"bubbles" and "protrusions"—that push the facade outward, creating spacious balconies that extend outward almost like individual rooms. This integration transforms balconies from mere exterior appendages into essential components of each unit, blending interior and exterior spaces fluidly. The balcony elements, along with smaller-scale protrusions for windows, create a layered extrusion effect, enhancing both the building’s functionality and its visual complexity.
This approach contrasts and complements the U.S. Bank Tower, where massing strategies focus on a top-down, vertical optimization of the tower structure. While the U.S. Bank Tower employs a "granular" treatment of balconies and facade elements to create repetition and maximize space, the Opus Tower prioritizes a more organic, plan-level strategy. Gehry’s design emphasizes spacious, usable
balconies that are deeply integrated with the interior space, ensuring that they feel like an extension of the living area rather than a tacked-on feature. The Opus Tower’s plan-level design operates in tandem with massing, optimizing balconies in a way that feels purposeful and fluid rather than forced or purely functional.
Together, these two towers illustrate two complementary approaches to balcony integration in high-rise design. The U.S. Bank Tower employs vertical massing to achieve functional, repetitive spaces, while the Opus Tower uses horizontal, plandriven extrusions to create unique, spacious balcony environments. For my exploration, these examples underscore the potential of both massing and planlevel strategies in high-rise balcony design. They show that by addressing balcony integration early and thoughtfully—whether through top-down massing or plan-level extrusion—it’s possible to create a cohesive architectural language that enhances the functionality, aesthetic, and user experience of highrise buildings.
Opus Hong Kong
Frank Gehry
Case 5
The Valley, designed by MVRDV, is an exemplary mixed-use development located in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district. Completed in 2021, it redefines the integration of urban density and greenery within high-rise architecture. The project stands out for its layered approach to form and function, blending residential, office, and retail spaces with lush vertical landscaping. Its irregular, terraced façade creates a dynamic aesthetic while facilitating access to outdoor spaces such as balconies and terraces— key design elements that mediate the relationship between interior and exterior environments.
For this project, The Valley serves as a crucial precedent for exploring the balcony as an architectural element in high-density urban contexts. The terraced design of The Valley showcases how balconies can function as micro-environments, providing privacy, greenery, and extended views for occupants, while also contributing to the building’s overall form and urban presence. This aligns closely with the goals of my project, where view analysis and design space exploration aim to optimize balcony placement and performance within dense urban environments like Hong Kong.
Additionally, The Valley exemplifies how regulatory and environmental considerations can shape design outcomes. MVRDV’s innovative use of balconies as a key design tool demonstrates a successful negotiation of building codes while addressing environmental factors such as daylight access and urban heat mitigation. The project also highlights how balconies, as intermediary spaces, can support community-building and sustainability goals.
By drawing inspiration from The Valley’s integration of physical, regulatory, and design spaces, my project seeks to push balcony design beyond traditional typologies, proposing balconies as adaptive, performative elements that enrich urban living. The Valley’s approach underscores the potential of architecture to mediate between dense urban conditions and the human need for connection to the environment.
