During our interview series the judges will tell us what they are looking out for in a winning entry and why they think you should enter the WAN awards.
Dennis Ho leads Arup East Asia Design for Architecture, Landscape and Urban Design. He is a UK trained architect, an urban designer and a city strategist.
He also leads Arup Urban Innovation Unit and Co-chairs the Education and CPD Committee for the RIBA HK Chapter. He is a Council Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, and a Scientific Committee Member of the Professional Green Building Council, Hong Kong.
Why should people enter the WAN awards? What are the benefits in your view?
The WAN Awards offer a great opportunity and platform for architects and designers around the globe to showcase their latest innovations and creations to a truly international audience. It greatly enhances designers’ exposure to the wider design and client communities.
What attracted you to becoming a judge for the WAN awards?
I am very passionate about designs that are impactful and purposeful in shaping our environment. I am also very interested in how technology and innovations can help create more sustainable and life-focused design. The WAN Awards allow me to understand our current focus and trends in these areas.
What sort of scheme would you most like to see among the entries?
I very much look forward to seeing schemes that creatively and intelligently respond to our current climatic and societal issues, focusing on the interaction between human experience, nature and technology, especially in high density cities.
Tell us about some recent projects you're proud of…
Our Taikoo Green Ribbon project won a WAN Award in 2022 and continues to create lots of traction and interest around the globe. It really demonstrates the importance of collaborating widely with other design disciplines.
Another exciting project is a state-of-the-art campus in eastern China that showcases the latest advanced manufacturing and digital technologies.
And on a much smaller scale, we are working on a community centre in an under-utilised space below a viaduct, using Modular Integrated Design with a specific focus on sustainability.