Since the 1930s, the Modern Movement of architecture, which emphasizes the functionality, economic benefits, and production methods of buildings, has widely influenced architectural design in Hong Kong. The city’s public buildings, such as markets, schools, and town halls, best embody the spirit of architectural modernism. Their plain and efficient design meets the social and economic needs of the modern era. They are everyday architecture that is closely tied to people’s daily life. Because they can be found in every district, public buildings are easily mistaken as unimportant or ordinary. In this talk, the speaker will examine the ways Hong Kong’s everyday architecture adapts to the challenges of modern society.

Carmen C. M. Tsui is an architect and urban historian. She is an associate professor in the Department of History at Lingnan University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses have been on the housing history of China and Hong Kong, heritage conservation and management, urban history, and architectural modernism in Asia. She is the author of Everyday Architecture in Context: Public Markets in Hong Kong (1842–1981).