IMAGINE: A Better Tomorrow
Being a visual person, as all architects are, when hearing that the architectural education at the University of Hong Kong is approaching its 75th birthday, immediately I see two vivid images with my mind’s eye:
The first one is the elevation of the Knowles Building, home to our Faculty of Architecture – not quite as it is in reality, but rather a high-rise with 75 floors, each marking a year since 1950 and changing with the advancing technology, the evolving culture, as well as the pressing environmental issues. I see this tower keep rising further, pursuing and achieving higher goals that scrape the sky of the field of architecture and built environment.
The second image is one of a magnificent banyan tree, with dense branches reaching far out in all directions – a perfect representation of our growing community that consists of students, faculty, and alumni of not only architecture, but also landscape architecture, conservation, real estate and construction, and urban planning and design, and we are all rooted in the soil of Pokfulam on Hong Kong Island. Today, the canopy of this family tree expands way beyond its home turf, and our graduates are making an impact world over.
Let’s celebrate and cherish our 75-year-old school together, while imaging a better tomorrow for all of us.
Yung Ho Chang FAIA
Dean and Chair Professor
Faculty of Architecture
The University of Hong Kong