ARCH4115 Architectural Design Studio III – Inhabit

Target Students BSSc 4

Course Term 1

Course Type Studio

Venue Studio

Teacher(s) MA, Maggie / HO, Jimmy / MO, Kar Him / KO, Rina / WANG, Zhenfei

ISSUE

Affordability is not merely a matter of cost—it is deeply entangled with questions of dignity, access, and equity. Hyper-efficiency and standardisation may accelerate housing production, but often at the expense of comfort, connection, and human-centred design. The pursuit of affordable housing in Hong Kong operates within a framework of tensions: efficiency versus empathy, top-down policy versus grassroots initiatives, quantity versus quality, and short-term shelter versus long-term belonging.

High-density cities in developed areas often face challenges of housing shortages, in particular for housing that is affordable to the masses. In Hong Kong, the scarcity of land resources is often discussed; however, the available land is often reserved for high-end developments. The current housing production model focuses on housing as a commodity rather than a place for meaningful living.

Hong Kong's urban housing landscape is characterised by extreme density, skyrocketing real estate prices, and spatial constraints. The complex interplay between space and economic forces has resulted in increasingly constrained living environments. Hong Kong has one of the highest property prices globally, making homeownership nearly impossible for many. Rising rent costs force residents into subdivided units, where living conditions are cramped and inadequate. Hyper-efficiency and standardisation speed up housing production, focusing on the quantitative supply; however, this efficiency often comes at the compromise of human dignity, comfort, and connection.

The design of this studio focuses on human-centred housing, addressing the needs of users. A home should not only be a physical shelter but a space that enhances social connection and individual well-being. The housing designs should consider how buildings interact with their surroundings, ensuring spaces remain liveable and responsive to both human needs and environmental conditions.

Affordability, then, becomes a lens through which all these tensions are examined. It is a rethink of value—what makes a home worth living in? How could it be designed and maintained? What are the people’s need?

How can architects reimagine affordable housing not as a constraint, but as a catalyst for equitable, sustainable, and habitable design? This is the core question the studio will explore.