Collective, Hong Kong and Spain: Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2023
With bases in Hong Kong and Spain, Collective joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
![hong kong apartment interior by Collective](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QPkuVMdNrmwJG9dbHtGnHe-415-80.jpg)
Collective is a young and dynamic architecture studio based in Hong Kong and Spain. The practice works on a wealth of art, commercial and residential projects, including this apartment in Hong Kong (above); the Art Collector's House; and exhibitions for M+ Museum and Taipei Art Biennial 2020. Now, Collective has joined the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios.
Who: Collective
Collective was founded by architect Betty Ng in 2015 – Chi Yan Chan, Juan Minguez and Katja Lam have since joined her as co-directors. While the studio is 'globally oriented and strongly rooted in Asia', the team explains, it remains headquartered in two continents, with offices in both Hong Kong and Madrid. With the directors combining experience at some of the world's most influential practices, such as the studios of Pritzker Prize-winning architects Rem Koolhaas/OMA and Herzog & de Meuron, Collective has a truly international outlook and a range of projects under its belt.
Model for Art Collector's House
'We love working in a diverse genre of international projects, to move away from the standards and routines. Every project becomes a new adventure that allows us to tackle new circumstances, offering us an opportunity to come out with new answers and design solutions. These fresh encounters and processes motivate us in design,' the architects say, explaining that their overall approach can be applied to schemes of any scale and type. '[We] practise architecture, interiors, urban design and exhibition design. Collective specialises in design as a methodology, not a style.'
M+ Museum, 'Things, Spaces, Interactions' exhibition, East galleries
What: Hong Kong apartment, and more
With a background as diverse as Collective's, it's no surprise that the team can apply their varied skills to projects that span the residential, commercial and cultural realm with ease. Among their recent and current residential work is a Hong Kong apartment, a newly completed space defined by its sleek simplicity and soft, timber-clad interiors; and the ambitious Art Collector's House, one of the several ongoing standalone, single-family houses they have on their drawing boards.
Meanwhile, Collective takes pride in its contributions to the cultural sector too, having already developed several schemes and concepts for high-profile, global institutions, despite the practice's young age. Among those, the M+ Museum's 'Things, Spaces, Interactions' exhibition in the destination's East galleries is an expansive showcase of some 500 examples of furniture, architecture, graphic arts, and other design objects, for which Collective designed the display.
The office and exhibition gallery for Art Intelligence's global headquarters in Hong Kong is another project in the same field by the studio – it's a textured, minimalist, and highly functional space that blends simplicity with 21st-century technology and design solutions, fit for the art space's multi-layered uses.
M+ Museum, 'Things, Spaces, Interactions' exhibition, East galleries
Why: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 23rd edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – 20 young studios from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo, Ecuador, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mozambique, Pakistan, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Vietnam, with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Taipei Biennial 2020
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
'Famous but understudied': IM Pei exhibition at M+ in Hong Kong is a deep dive into the architect's legacy
'IM Pei: Life is Architecture' is an exhibition celebrating the global icon; and it's just opened at M+ in Hong Kong
By Ijeoma Ndukwe Published
-
MOCA is a self-sufficient mobile home offering freedom to work (and roam)
MOCA (Mobile Catalyst) is a sustainable mobile home designed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and taking remote working to a new level
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A Hong Kong HQ by Brewin Design Office draws on its modernist building’s nature
A modernist-inspired office interior in Hong Kong by Brewin Design Office draws on its building’s 1980s Harry Siedler architecture
By Daven Wu Published
-
La Maison Blanche is a Hong Kong apartment elevated through bespoke luxury interiors
La Maison Blanche by Cream is a Hong Kong apartment with an emphasis on period-inspired, layered decor and long city views
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Garden Crescent brings biophilic design to a dense Hong Kong neighbourhood
Garden Crescent by Ronald Lu & Partners brings a haven of green in its high-density Hong Kong neighbourhood
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Low-energy house in Catalonia minimises its footprint to make the most of its site
Alventosa Morell Arquitectes’ low-energy house in Catalonia nestles into the landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre puts Valencia on the contemporary art map
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre launches in Valencia, offering a home for contemporary art to sit side by side with archaeological treasures
By Blaire Dessent Published
-
2 Lucca Avenue: contemporary luxury meets views of Hong Kong nature
Designed by Conran and Partners, 2 Lucca Avenue at Villa Lucca in Hong Kong, is a modern home wrapped in contemporary luxury
By Ellie Stathaki Published