Conversations with Alumni 2021-22 – Lucia Cheung and William Shum: Making + Capturing

About the Conversations series:

12 Stories of the Past, Present and Dreams of the Future – please join this series of “Conversations”, where our alumni from different architecturally-related fields share their passions and visions not only on their professions but also their personal outlooks on life. Don’t miss these stories and discussions that are at times thoughtful, heart-warming and humorous!

Moderators: Phiyona Auyeung and Chang Hoi Wood

About the Speakers:

Lucia Cheung – Founder & Director, PLY Union Limited

Lucia is one of the founders of a young multi-disciplinary design practice, PLY Union Limited, founded in 2014. She is a registered architect in Hong Kong. She received her undergraduate degree in CUHK and Master of Architecture degree from Rice University, USA. Since the establishment of the studio, she has overseen architectural design in the office with projects including design of cat furniture, bus compartment, installation, architectural interiors, signboards, specialised facade, ceiling prototypes and buildings.

Prior to the setup of the studio, her practice with OMA Asia and Rocco Design has gained her broad experience in the architecture field with prestigious and award-winning projects in Hong Kong, Korea and Mainland China from public to private sectors. Her station in Guangzhou and Shenzhen has led her the opportunity to collaborate with fabricators, exploring design with fabrication technique for mass customisation.

Outside the office, Lucia also participated as advisor in rural sustainable programmes such as “A Bridge Too Far” and rammed earth construction of “Terra Centre” in Mainland China with the 1U1V team of CUHK.

William Shum – Founder, William Shum Phonetography

William is a professional architect and non-professional mobile photographer. Graduating from CUHK in 1999, William spent more than a decade practising as an architect in various local architectural firms. Having gained solid experience in both design and administration works in the construction industry, he changed his career path in 2013 by stepping into the property development field and became a project manager for various local property developers.

Based in Hong Kong, William spent his childhood on the streets, observing the human drama around. In the hope of sharing the idiosyncrasy of the worldly beauty with a larger audience, this hobby turned into a ‘slash career’ in 2016 by setting up a fan page called “William Shum Phonetography” in social media. Although he deemed himself not qualified as a professional photographer, William hosted numerous courses, tours and exhibitions for more than 5 years and amassed thousands of enthusiasts. His mobile photography works have been regularly shortlisted and winning prizes in various local and international photography contests.

Living on a quiet island with his wife, William now devotes his time to pursuing the meaning of life.

Date and Time: 11 Nov 2021 at 6:00 pm

Venue: CUHK School of Architecture Atrium

Click here for details of the series “Conversations with Alumni 2021-22”.

We hope you will join us in commemorating our 30 years of excellence in design teaching and research at CUHK. Meanwhile, please consider supporting our School, our alumni and take a look at our celebration items!