“PROJECTING FUTURE HERITAGE: A HONG KONG ARCHIVE” is one of the Roving Architecture Exhibitions that will be showcased in Bangkok after its debut at the Hong Kong Pavilion during the Biennale Architettura 2025 in Venice. The official opening will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the former residence of Prince Krom Phra Sawan Boribhat, located at 48 Samran Rat Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon District. This exhibition presents a repository of civic architecture from Hong Kong, viewed through the lens of public space and urban development.

Under the theme “Wisdom - Nature - Artificial Intelligence - Inclusivity,” curators Fai Au, Ying Zhou, and Sunnie S.Y. Lau convey the concept of “collective intelligence” through Hong Kong's public infrastructure architecture that reflects the city's transitions. The exhibition opens new perspectives on the role of architecture in addressing contemporary challenges such as climate change, urban density, and the preservation of public spaces, featuring over 30 works ranging from mixed-use buildings, multipurpose markets, public housing, to infrastructure and the impacts of airport development.

Organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation (HKIABF) in collaboration with the The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA), and supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Hong Kong government, this exhibition serves as a platform for exchanging ideas on architecture, cultural heritage, and sustainable urban development, aligning with the Belt and Road Initiative, which emphasizes long-term cross-continental investment policies in China and the importance of connectivity and sustainable development.

After its exhibition in Bangkok, the exhibition will continue to Hong Kong and Shanghai. For more information, please visit the website as well as the Facebook and Instagram.

Rotating Architecture Exhibition in Bangkok

Date

January 29 - February 13, 2026

Location

Former residence of Prince Krom Phra Sawan Boribhat, 48 Samran Rat Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon District

Admission Fee

Free of charge

This rotating architecture exhibition continues the vision of presenting Hong Kong at the Biennale Architettura 2025 in Venice, which received international acclaim, by bringing back the “future heritage” in the realm of public architecture through a selection of over 30 works.

These works reflect the idea of collective intelligence arising from public structures in Hong Kong that emerged after the war, a crucial period for urban development. These architectures respond to the humid tropical climate and advance discussions on coexistence in the Anthropocene era, where humans alter the world, including cooperative housing, public buildings that integrate markets, libraries, and sports areas, as well as mixed-use industrial buildings designed by local architects and key agencies in Hong Kong. Despite their significant role in shaping the modern city, many remain undocumented or underrepresented, while rapid urban development has led to the replacement of numerous buildings or left them at a crossroads of preservation.

The exhibition in Bangkok builds on the Venice presentation by screening a documentary that captures the architectural repository of Hong Kong, along with actual exhibits from the previous exhibition, connecting three cities: Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Venice through the theme of “water” as both a source of power and urban vulnerability, as well as the role of these cities as nodes for resource exchange and knowledge from the past to the present, influencing the definition of “future heritage.” Visitors will experience works from Venice, along with stories that trace back to Hong Kong, through an experience that bridges recorded history with future aspirations.

Curatorial Team

Ar. Fai Au (HKIA) is the founder and principal architect of O Studio Architects and serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Hong Kong. His work has received numerous awards, including the Prix Versailles Continental Winner in 2021, Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard in 2020, and the HKIA Medal of the Year in 2011. His research focuses on urban living in high-density areas, congestion, urban restructuring (gentrification), and social inequality. Additionally, he is a co-curator of the Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Hong Kong) and was the curator of the PMQ HKU Architecture Gallery exhibition in 2022. His works have been showcased in various international and regional exhibitions, including The Architecture of Prayer Exhibition (2023), Good Design Award Exhibition (2019), International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Play to Change Exhibition (2018), Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Hong Kong) (2017), PMQ 10×100 Exhibition (2017), ‘REVEAL 2: +-x÷’ Exhibition (2016), ‘Past Present Future – Tracking Hong Kong’ Exhibition (2015), and Agoras Green Architecture Exhibition (2013).

Dr. Ying Zhou (AIA Assoc.) is an urban theory scholar and Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong. She currently serves as the chair of Docomomo HK and is an editorial board member of Architectural Histories, the journal of the European Architectural History Network. Her research explores the role of architecture in the civicness of cities, particularly studying the concepts and ideologies of buildings and groups of buildings from the Urban Council in Hong Kong since the 1970s. Additionally, Dr. Ying researches the artistic ecology in East Asian cities through spatial production and its connections to urban heritage preservation, urban restructuring, and creative city concepts. Before working in Hong Kong, Dr. Ying taught and researched with Professor Kees Christiaanse at the Future Cities Laboratory of the Singapore-ETH Centre and with Professors Herzog and de Meuron at the ETH Studio Basel Contemporary Cities Institute. Her works have been exhibited in significant institutions and events such as Haus der Kunst, Swiss Architecture Museum, Rotterdam Architecture Biennale, and Shenzhen Architecture Biennale. Furthermore, her writings have been published in leading academic and art media, including Critical Planning, Urban China [城市中国], LEAP [艺术界], and Art Journal.

Ar. Sing Yeung Sunnie Lau (HKIA) is the founding director of SOSArchitecture Urban Design Studio, believing that human-centric design is key to creating inclusive and sustainable communities, emphasizing the important role of urban designers and architects in the built environment. Ar. Sing initiated projects on Smart City and Sustainability at the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node as director from 2019 to 2024 and has co-taught and led workshops and courses, such as ‘Hacking Kowloon East’ (IAP Workshop and Spring Course 2021) with Prof. Brent Ryan from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; ‘Beyond Smart Cities – 10-minute self-sustainable neighborhoods in Island South’ (IAP Workshop 2022) with Prof. Kent Larson from the City Science Group, Media Lab, MIT; as well as Urban Technology Week 2023–2024 with MITDesignX and MAD, MIT in both practitioner and educator roles. Ar. Sing promotes architecture through design, exhibitions, academic and public writing, and community engagement. Her published research covers topics such as ‘Kowloon East Inclusive Innovation & Growth,’ ‘Urban Mobility and Smart Infrastructure,’ and ‘Urban Resilience by Design – Adaptive Landscapes for PRD.’ Additionally, Ar. Sing serves as a co-curator and exhibitor in the Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Hong Kong) in 2017 & 2019 and has exhibited at the Biennale Architettura (Hong Kong) in Venice.

* Supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) (formerly known as Create Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government).

About the Organizers, Partners, and Main Sponsors