Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1992

is always another way of doing it better. There is no one right answer and no way to study in the traditional sense. Working hard and putting in long hours alone do not guarantee success. One must also work creatively and iteratively, trying, evaluating and trying again. The teacher is not there to provide the right answer but to act as a coach, helping the students to work out their own way of solving problems. What Lies ahead? The immediate priority is to shape and refine the academic programme. The department has plans to 'upgrade' the second tier of its programme from a B.Arch. course to an M.Arch. course and is still awaiting final endorsement by the University and the UPGC. It also plans to establish a research agenda, and to nurture the linkages it has initiated with universities abroad and in China. In research, there is an urgent need to develop the kind of architectural knowledge that will benefit Hong Kong, China and the neighbouring region as the area progresses economically and becomes more and more modernized. The buildings that will be built in the future should reflect the local and regional factors which used to play the dominant role before Western civilization made its impact. The superficial and inappropriate application of building types and styles borrowed from alien regions and cultures can only be overcome by better knowledge and design. Research can contribute to the development of an authentic architectural expression that will fit Hong Kong, China and the neighbouring region in the future. Areas for further research that have been identified by the department include climate-responsive and energy efficient buildings; settings and activities in dense urban areas; and the influence of traditional architecture on contemporary design. With the admission of the first few M.Phil. students, projects in these Sometimes there are many lessons in a day and we've found life very exhausting. It would be wonderful if the tight schedule could be changed in some way. Daniel : Teachers and students often have discussions about teaching pace and course delivery, and our suggestions are often accepted. For instance, at first teachers tended to ask us to submit different assignments on the same day and we couldn't possibly make it. When we brought this up with the teachers, they worked out a timetable among themselves and thereafter set different submission dates for what they might assign. Another example is thai we all felt that it would be much better if slide shows could be preceded by briefings and relevant hand-outs, and this view has been readily accepted by the teachers. • Are there any other suggestions you would like to make? Stanley: I think the resources in the department are inadequate. For example, we do not have enough copying machines and blueprint machines. I hope more will be added in due course. Tina : We need a lot of time, space and tools of various kinds to do our assignments, and the studio in the department is naturally the ideal work place. Unfortunately, the opening hours of the studio are limited. As we can't possibly bring our work home-few people have homes with such space and facilities-it would be best if the studio could be open 24 hours a day. Daniel : Because I am a transfer student, I have come across some difficulties such as how I should carry credit units over and how to apply for a hostel place. 1 hope the department can give more back up to transfer students. • Department of Architecture 6