Hong Kong, while justifiably famous for its food and shopping, is also an awe-inspiring city for architecture buffs. The money that flows from its place as the financial hub of Asia has brought a cluster of star architects to Hong Kong. Everyone has their favourite building; mine is probably the Bank of China Tower (1988). Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I. M. Pei, it is one of the most instantly recognisable buildings in Hong Kong with its triangular frameworks and glass curtain walls. Other masterpieces include Paul Rudolph’s brutalist Lippo building (1986), Foster and Partners HSBC Building (1985) and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (1997). Then there are the standard residential and commercial buildings. While typically less spectacular, they emerge from tiny plots 20, 30,40 storeys into the air, constructed using bamboo scaffolding (last picture).
