We're delighted that Hong Kong-based architect Christopher Lye has joined the WIN Awards 2024 as chair of the judging panel. Here he shares five of his favourite previous projects.
With a particular interest in retail and commercial projects, Chris studied architecture at Bath University in the UK and has over 15 years of experience in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China. As the Retail Sector Leader for Woods Bagot’s Hong Kong Studio, he has completed numerous retail and commercial projects and unusually for the firm, he works across the disciplines of master planning, architecture and interior design.
“At the moment I’m working on master planning projects including Wuhan Liantou Huashan River and Nanjing Yicheng River West Retail which require careful consideration and following rules for heritage areas,” he says.
“I’m also working on designs for the Chongqing Luneng retail project. It’s not a typical simple retail design as it features 18 entrances – paying tribute to the 18 city gates of Chongqing City.”
Chris describes the fundamental principle of his work as “extraction of the essence and elements of the local area and designing with local relevance”. He also believes it’s vital for designers to consider how their work relates to the end user.
“Ultimately the most important thing to think about is how the spaces we design will be used,” he says.
Adding: “The true test of a building’s success is after it’s been built and has been in operation for a few years.”
In terms of this year’s WIN Award entries Chris is hoping to learn about the “thinking process behind the finished designs”.
“For me that’s the most interesting aspect,” he says.
“I’d like to see how the designers formulate their thinking,” he adds.
Read on to discover Chris’s key projects.
- Hazens Longgang Longteng, Shenzhen, China, Masterplan
“This important site next to the Longteng river covers over 90 acres with over 1.5 square kilometres of GFA. There’s a huge amount of urban regeneration going on in China right now, at all scales. This is one of the biggest projects I’ve worked on. It’s a key masterplan for Shenzhen as a whole and hugely significant for the city thanks to the river that runs through the middle of it. The Chinese government spent a lot of money turning it into the country’s first eco-river.”
2. Hazens Arch Future Centre, Shenzhen, China
“This 8,000 square metre gateway to the master plan above is a multi-functional exhibition space. It’s designed as a system of interconnected functional volumes, taking shape from a monumental entry and plaza along the river. It was wonderful to see how the master plan is being realised in this project. The scale of architecture in China is exciting because there is so much space.”
3. Yanlord Cangjie, Suzhou, China
“Suzhou is a heritage city on a par with Kyoto in Japan or Bath in the UK. As such the government strictly controls the materials and size of any new buildings. This retail and cultural project was set on a particularly sensitive site in Suzhou between the new and the old town and next to the heritage Xiangmen gate, the university and the famous Suzhou landscape gardens. We spent nine months liaising with government heritage experts on everything from how big the buildings would be, to the orientation, to the angles of the roofs, to the proximity of the open plaza to the ancient gate. Our design refers back to the essence of the city and features a 3D interpretation of the Suzhou Gardens. We were delighted to gain approval not only from the Suzhou government but also the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development’s expert.”
4. China Overseas Unipark, Ningbo, China
“I have worked on a lot of shopping centres. What’s interesting about this one is it’s not a big shopping centre like Westfield but more like Liberty department store in London. It is spread over three plots and also involved activation of the riverside.
A lot of the time in retail we have one big black box – this scheme is three separated plots each of which extract different elements from the surroundings and are aligned with the different brands. This made it more interesting but also more challenging as a project.”
5. Qianhai financial centre, Shenzhen, China
“This is one of the first towers built in Shenzhen in the Qianhai area, equivalent to London’s Canary Wharf. It was a joint venture with New York-based Silverstein and the quality is very high. It really sets a benchmark for the area. We took an architectural approach to the interior design, extracting elements of the tower and expressing the verticality of the tower as the client wanted the interiors to be aligned with the exterior.”