Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1992

The New Depar tment of Archi tecture '...we are conscious of the responsibility and hopes vested in us. The Department of Architecture will do its utmost to contribute to the continuing development of Hong Kong, China and the region. By development, we mean the complete array of factors that will make Hong Kong a cosmopolitan city in every sense — social as well as economic, cultural as well as technical Hong Kong is poised on the brink of take-off into a new level of achievement in building. Her architects, builders and clients have already made Hong Kong a modern city. The 21st century will bring not only political but also technological, economic and cultural changes to the building industry. There will be new and more complex problems of function, structure, energy efficiency, cultural protection and environmental protection. At the same time ， new and more powerful tools such as computers and electronic media will greatly enhance our ability to visualize, create and communicate architectural ideas and concepts. Within that context, architecture has the power to provide more efficient buildings and to visually express the dynamic culture of Hong Kong and China. The University is proud to be the home for a new department of architecture at this critical moment in the development of Hong Kong. We pledge to provide a learning environment for the students to become competent professionals ， creative problem solvers and responsible citizens. We pledge to conduct research that will contribute to the understanding of Chinese tradition and culture and the high-density urban environments of the Pacific Rim.' Excerpt from the Vice-Chancellor's speech at the inauguration of the Department of Architecture on 8th October 1991. The Need for More Architects Hong Kong has had a department of architecture at the University of Hong Kong since the early 1950s. It is the finest in the region and has trained many of the local practising architects. In 1986, however, a report by the University of Hong Kong stated that their 40 architecture graduates each year were only filling about half of the demand created by the local economic boom. Furthermore, a continuing demand for trained architects is obvious even considering conservative estimates of expanding construction activities necessitated by growth in population and increases in income. These projections were made before the Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS) proposals came out, and the new airport and related developments planned will further increase the demand. Department of Architecture 3