International Collaborative Design Studio – TU Graz, Austria

This joint design studio was a collaboration with TU Graz, Austria, which opened up perspectives on the topic of land reclamation and sustainable urban housing with the Ma Liu Shui waterfront in Shatin as a case study. Following a prior exchange studio in Hong Kong, MArch students of our School’s Design Methodology and Practice design research unit presented their masterplans of diverse strategies and design approaches at TU Graz in December 2015, rethinking land reclamation and developing resilient urban living concepts that addressed economic and social-political needs. During the trip, CUHK students also visited important housing projects in Graz, a city well known for its innovative urban living models, including guided tours to Terrassenhaussiedlung by its architect Eugen Gross, who provided insights on planning this settlement in the 1970s, and to Kernhaussiedlung, with its designer Herfried Peyker of Nussmüller Architects.