Disciplinary Focus
As part of the School of Design’s critical enquiry on design related aspects, the ‘EID Lecture Series’ explores diverse and sometimes radical design position taken within a current spatial paradigm.
Occupying a unique position in Asia, Hong Kong as a city-territorial model, is representative of highly specific urban-architectural realities generated by explicit developmental prototypes, transformation processes and new modes of urbanization. This poses a number of unique critical questions and problematics related to use, space and habitation and density with far reaching implications in terms of future aspects of urban dwelling, trends and critical design positions taken by urban, architectural, interior, landscape and urban designers.
Whether overshadowed by the aspects of ‘mega’ projects or that of policy realignment for adaptive reuse, or, questioning architecture as stabilizing political dwelling mechanism, the questions become core drivers to a larger spatial discipline.
The EID Lecture Series aims to bring together individuals, disciplines, questions, policies and design related themes within a framework that challenges, debates and critiques conventionality and extremes amongst peers, professionals and experts. Compulsory for all senior undergraduate School of Design students, it is open to any interested individuals.
60m2 notionally describes a space and its measure. As a quantifiable unit it can outline a multiplicity of things; a quantitative item of speculation, a space of constraint, an economic component, a delimited area, a fragment of excessive density, a domestic standardization or stand as a cultural measure. In line with Borges’ taxonomy of Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge, 60m2 may furthermore notionally describe a fictional or actual entity, surveyed or imagined, real or ephemeral. It can delineate interior as well as exterior, or, a stand as a spatial standard from which we can compare emerging spatial orders. It can be conceptual, urban or domestic, pragmatic, functional, productive, commercial or neglected.
For Hong Kong’s context of excessive density, 60m2 is an officially ‘mean’, seen as a standardized datum for a residential apartment. In this way 60m2 bounds the concept of home and dwelling within a particular spatial frame, itself located within a financially speculative neo-liberal city in which every square foot counts.
The 60m2 lecture series invites local and international scholars, philosophers, practitioners, engineer, artists and other spatial thinkers to contribute, critique, challenge or complement the 60m2 scalar paradigm with regard to the above or related issues, asking them to present differing points of view, alternatives or moments of redress as ways forward. Speakers contributions will aid our understanding whilst addressing spatial taxonomies, scalar orders, logics, application, complexity, excess and sensory experience as part of Hong Kong’s unique and singular environment as part of the contemporary problematic of a fully urbanized society.
The Triangle: critically analyses and explores the increasingly uneasy relationships between property developers, designers and citizens in Hong Kong. Challenges, dilemma and conflicts are addressed with the hopes of providing a greater understanding of current issues and phenomenon. Both philosophical and practical solutions will be given to defrost the awkwardness between the parties, advocating that the three may become one.
Speaker info
Carl Gouw is an entrepreneur, designer and cultural columnist. He is the Managing Director of Goldig Investment Group, and the founder of ACTS Group, a hospitality developer/operator and design practice.
Gouw supports art and culture. He was a director of Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, and also is an advisor of organisations including International Arts Movement. He researches on the changing relationships between design, culture, social structures and humanity. He writes for publications including Baccarat and Capital Entrepreneur. He received the ’40 under 40’ award in 2014 by Perspective.