SOGO Twin Towers Kai Tak - OMA

A while back, SCMP wrote an article about OMA’s Twin Tower design to be erected at the former airports in Hong Kong.

Construction has started in the meantime.

Developed for SOGO/Lifestyle International, the twin towers will form a gate and be placed in a half-circle orientation. 

As you can see from these aerial photos, the towers will be the endpoint of a large central axis linking the entire area with the Kai Tak Sports center at the other end of the axis (currently also under construction). 

Details, and the design are currently sparse, but it will undoubtedly become a new landmark for Hong Kong. Also, it will be OMA/Rem Koolhaas' first large building in Hong Kong. 

As with many other projects, I will follow construction over the coming years and see how the twin towers will start to take shape.

Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts - Herzog de Meuron

2 years ago Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts opened in Hong Kong’s central district. It was a huge leap for Hong Kong that had a hard time embracing conservation and regeneration. Herzog & de Meuron was the lead designer and injected 2 new built volumes inside the overal masterplan. The 2 volumes were lifted of the ground to create a relation between outside and inside.

See more photos on Behance

Project: Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts
Location: Hong Kong
Time: spring 2020
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron

2 Murray Road - Zaha Hadid Architects

A few weeks back, the design of Zaha Hadid Architects’ design for 2 Murray Road was revealed. In the meantime, construction has started by first taking down the parking garage that occupied the site, and now the piling has started.

The 35 storey tower is to be built on the last prime real-estate plot in Hong Kong's CBD. Neighbouring iconic towers from I.M. Pei (Bank of China), Paul Rudolph (Lippo Centre) and Foster and Partners (HSBC headquarters). 

I took a few photos of the empty site and will continue to follow the construction to see this landmark tower rise up and further shape Hong Kong business district. 

Xiqu Centre - Hong Kong

Completed in 2018 as the first venue of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the Xiqu Centre forms the gateway to the wider area. Connecting the usually bustling Canton Road with the future cultural area, the theatre offers a much needed public space in the large scale area created by lifting up the theatre. 

See more photos on Behance

The building was designed by Revery Architecture Inc. 
Structural engineering by Buro Happold 
Façade engineering by Front Inc 
Shop drawings and BD submissions by Inhabit 

National Taichung Theater - Toyo Ito

When I was still studying, Toyo Ito won a competition in the city I was studying at the time, Ghent. I remember going to a lecture of him where he explained the design for the Waalse Krook. 

As with many projects in Belgium, they never got to actually building the winning design. 

A few years later Toyo Ito proposed a very similar design for a theater half way across the world in Taichung, Taiwan. 

Last year, I finally got to see that actual building in real, and it brought vivid memories back of my years in Architecture school. Even though the design isn’t completely same, different site parameters and all, but it does resemble the same ideas and fluid pockets that bring light and air into the midst of the buildings. 

Project: National Taichung Theater
Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Time: November 2019
Designed by Toyo Ito

Photography of boutiques across Hong Kong

Over the past year I have been commissioned to photograph several boutiques across Hong Kong. The region has an abundance of beautifully designed shops both inside and outside. Always a pleasure to photograph these innovative design and often unique materials.

Photographed here are:

Above: Yohji Yamamoto boutique at K11 Musea at Victoria Dockside, Hong Kong
Below: Alexander McQueen boutique at K11 Musea at Victoria Dockside, Hong Kong

Da Wang Jing - Aedas

Throwback to end of 2019.

I was sent to Beijing to photograph megaproject Da Wang Jing designed by Aedas / Andrew Bromberg.
Remembering a few years back that this area was a massive construction site, it’s great to see that in the span of a few years an endless amount of towers are built with abundant green and parks integrated in-between.

Da Wang Jing is a development consisting of 5 towers, adjacent to a large park. I photographed the project over some very crisp winter days in Beijing. Cold but with beautiful Beijing winter colours. Good memories.

The photos were part of a photo-essay published in issue 24 of Design Anthology.

Project: Da Wang Jing
Location: Beijing
Time: December 2019
Designed by Aedas / Andrew Bromberg
Photographed for Aedas

Eden of the Orient - Large size prints now available

With the launch of my new series ‘Eden of the Orient, I provide the opportunity to order large scale prints for your home or office.

Available in 2 sizes: 42x60 and 60x84 cm, these artworks are printed on Premium archival matte paper.

The prints can be shipped worldwide. Please have a look at the assortment of prints available on the webshop. And happy to answer any questions you might have for custom prints to make them stand out fully in your home or office.

Have a look at the printshop: HERE

About ‘Eden of the Orient’

EDEN OF THE ORIENT, HONG KONG

Hong Kong has a unique set of urban characteristics. Beyond what it is known for: a vertical city boasting the highest number of skyscrapers in any city around the world, it reveals a growing lack of space. Build on a set of islands, with mountainous terrain covering the majority of the available land, all that is left to build are tiny slivers of space where the ever-rising population needs to be housed. To solve the land shortage, the Hong Kong government has been building hyper-dense 'new towns'. The results are staggering and form the subject of this photo-essay. 2 seemingly completely unassociated elements converge in the hong kong landscape: high rise living with abundant green-topped mountains. It reveals a set of problems, and explains the deeper meaning of the social unrest currently overtaking Hong Kong: is there still a liveable future in Hong Kong? 

The Quayside - CL3

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph the interior design of high-end office building The Quayside in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong district.

The interior design was handled by CL3, led by William Lim.

See more images here

Building: The Quayside
Location: Hong Kong
Time: July 2020
Designed by CL3
Photographed for CL3

Ting Kau Bridge -schlaich bergermann partner

Completed 22 years ago, the Ting Kau Bridge forms an important part in the transportation network of Hong Kong. Connecting Tsing Yi island and the New Territories, it is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world.

Designed by schlaich bergermann partner.

Read more about the design on the sbp website.

See more photos of this striking bridge in the gallery.