The inaugural edition of Open House Hong Kong is slated to be held on the weekends of 21-22 & 28-29 September 2024. In partnership with the Design Trust, the Festival will showcase around 50 sites and buildings around Hong Kong, highlighting the remarkable cultural and architectural diversity of the city. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore a range of architectural styles, from vernacular architecture and nineteenth-century colonial buildings to cutting-edge designs by local and international “starchitects”.

About 50 sites, including normally inaccessible spaces, ranging from heritage buildings, commercial skyscrapers, industrial buildings and infrastructural facilities, will open their doors to the public. Expert-led tours will be offered at selected sites, providing a rare opportunity for local and international visitors to experience and appreciate the spaces from a new perspective. In addition, all are welcome to join the dialogues led by experts and enthusiasts which cover topics ranging from design, aesthetics, history, heritage, livability, and sustainability.

The event was initiated by a group of young, passionate Hong Kong architecture enthusiasts. They are eager to introduce both new and old buildings in Hong Kong to local and global audiences, showcasing the rich diversity of this city. The organising committee members come from various fields, including architects, educators, curators, scholars, researchers, and more.

Through this celebration of Hong Kong's architectural beauty and diversity, Open House Hong Kong promises to offer a unique and enlightening experience for all.

Organising Committee

  • Kit Chan

    Writer & Photographer

    Graduated from the University of Hong Kong, and formerly a journalist, Kit Chan currently works as a column writer, editor, photographer and independent curator. Putting focus on architecture, humanity, space making and urbanism, he actively documents Hong Kong, as well as other cities. He is the author of two books, KNOWHERE and KNOWHERE HONG KONG, published respectively in 2020 and 2023.
    The former publication has been awarded with Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards 2021.

  • Jessica Chan

    Urban Researcher / Urbanist

    Jessica Chan is an urban researcher, especially interested in spatial imagination, urban policy and discourse. After graduating from the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she received the Chevening Scholarships to pursuit her master's degree in Urban Studies at University College London. Later, she completed the master's degree in Urban Analytics from the University of Hong Kong with the scholarship suppprt of the University Grants Committee.

  • Kay Chan Wan Ki 

    Product Designer & Community Interaction Planner

    Kay Chan is a product designer and community interaction planner specialising in sustainable design, whilst integrating art and design into public spaces to promote community and environmental inclusion. Kay’s edge in community interaction planning has led her to infuse elements of community participation in most of her work. She has also led education programmes for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, M+, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and PMQ. In recent years, Kay’s focus on interactive communication has inspired her to curate the opening exhibition of ‘Our Living Library’ at Oil Art Space (2022).


    - 2018 Mentee of Design Trust Future Studio – Play is for the People
    - Designer of Tsuen Wan Yi Pei Square Playground

  • Fan Lok Yi Helen

    Arts Practitioner & Researcher

    Fan Lok Yi is a Hong Kong-based curator who explores the connections between urban spaces, history, and the environment through research and collaborative artistic processes. She has led multiple community projects and has recently dedicated herself to studying the evolution of children's playscapes. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Hong Kong and an MA in Fine Art from the University of the Arts London.

    - 2018 M+/Design Trust Research Fellows

  • Charles Lai

    Architectural Historian & Architect (UK)

    Charles Lai is an architect (RIBA) and an architectural historian. He graduated from the AA School of Architecture in London and the University of Hong Kong. His works explore the history of modern architecture in East and Southeast Asia, the material culture and history of Shanghai plaster, as well as the conservation of historical built heritages.

    - 2022 Design Trust Feature Grant Recipient 

  • Hiuman Lam

    Writer & Photographer

    Hiuman Lam graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature and a Master's degree in Cultural and Religious Studies. She currently works as a writer, photographer and curator. In 2020, she established the "Hong Kong Reminiscence", which is dedicated to documenting Hong Kong's cultural heritage. She authored a book titled "Hong Kong Reminiscence: Documents of Hong Kong's Old Stories" and has hosted and taken part in several local and overseas photography and design related exhibitions. She hopes to record the unique culture of Hong Kong through various mediums, transforming history into memory.

  • Vera Lam

    Director, HART

    Vera Lam is the Director of HART, a not-for-profit institution subsidised by Henderson Land Development Company Limited. Her role focuses on providing platforms for emerging artists to thrive and facilitating connections between artists, audiences, and the broader community through interdisciplinary exchanges, curated exhibitions, public programs, and international artist residencies. Lam’s curated exhibitions include "Collected Light: From Legacy to Future" (2024) and "Postmodern Tales" (2023) at H Queen's, enriched by her positions at M+ and Blindspot Gallery with a focus on international and Chinese contemporary art within Hong Kong’s visual culture.

  • Kevin Mak

    Architect, Architectural Photographer & Heritage Conservationist

    Kevin Mak is a registered Hong Kong architect. He currently focuses on urban & architectural photography and on the signboard heritage conservation platform @streetsignhk which he co-founded. He takes a multidisciplinary approach in sharing and experiencing our urban space, street life and aesthetics through exhibition, research, design & photography.

    - 2024 co-recipients of the Design Trust Dynamic Duos Arts Prize

  • Bob Pang

    Architect & Author

    Bob Pang is a registered architect in Hong Kong and has worked in London, Vienna and Shanghai, such as working as a project architect at the studio of Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. In recent years, he initiated and advocated a research about local Brutalist architectural history for three years, funded by Design Trust and Leigh and Orange. He is the author of "Unknown Brutalism Architecture in Hong Kong" and "Think Things on Architecture", and is currently a columnist for City Magazine.

    - 2024 co-recipients of the Design Trust Dynamic Duos Arts Prize
    - 2022 Design Trust Feature Grant Recipient 
    - 2022 Mentee of Design Trust Future Studio – Heritage is Creative Generation
    - 2020 Design Trust Seed Grant Recipient

  • Sampson Wong

    Urbanist

    Sampson Wong obtained a PhD Geography from the University of Manchester, UK and is currently lecturer of Urban Studies Programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His practices mainly include public writings and contemporary art, and he is the author of two best selling books, Hong Kong Strollology and Urban Strollology.

    - 2018 M+/Design Trust Research Fellows