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.
Taipei Biennial 2020
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The return of Genghis Cohen: LA’s cult Chinese diner lives onThe 1980s Chinese-American landmark returns with red booths, neon nostalgia, and a fresh dose of Hollywood eccentricity
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A monumental exhibition of French design revives the spirit of art deco for contemporary timesThe Galerie des Gobelins hosts the inaugural Salon des Nouveaux Ensembliers, a contemporary movement inspired by art deco’s grand traditions
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Sotheby’s is auctioning Mercedes Gleitze’s Channel-crossing RolexThe historic Rolex that started the sport-watch synergy is going under the hammer, amidst a contemporary boom in sporty-elegant timepieces
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Tour Mountain Residence’s refined ‘interior landscape’ in Hong KongMountain Residence is a serene, multigenerational family home, nestled on Kowloon’s Mount Beacon in Hong Kong and designed by Nelson Chow
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A Spanish house designed to ‘provide not just shelter, but a tangible, physical experience’A Spanish house outside Tarragona creates a tangible framework for the everyday life of a couple working flexibly in the digital world
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Meet Ferdinand Fillod, a forgotten pioneer of prefabricated architectureHis clever flat-pack structures were 'a little like Ikea before its time.'
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A courtyard house in northern Spain plays with classical influences and modernist formsA new courtyard house, Casa Tres Patis by Twobo Arquitectura, is a private complex that combines rich materiality and intriguing spatial alignments
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In Santander, a cotton candy-coloured HQ is a contemporary delightSantander’s Colección ES Headquarters, a multifunctional space for art, office work, and hosting, underwent a refurbishment by Carbajo Hermanos, drawing inspiration from both travels and local context
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This Madrid villa’s sculptural details add to its serene appealVilla 18 by Fran Silvestre Architects, one of a trilogy of new homes in La Moraleja, plays with geometry and curves – take a tour
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A love letter to the panache and beauty of diagrams: OMA/AMO at the Prada Foundation in Venice‘Diagrams’, an exhibition by AMO/OMA, celebrates the powerful visual communication of data as a valuable tool of investigation; we toured the newly opened show in Venice’s Prada Foundation
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This striking Spanish house makes the most of a tricky plot in a good areaA Spanish house perched on a steep slope in the leafy suburbs of Barcelona, Raúl Sánchez Architects’ Casa Magarola features colourful details, vintage designs and hidden balconies
