Interview with Mr Siu Kwok Kin Stanley
Every great thing begins with dreamers; we utilise our strength, passion and profession to reach for our dreams.
Designer of the Day Interview
6 April 2018
I am working in the industry over a decade. I grow up and graduated from UNITEC, New Zealand. After my graduation, I come back to Hong Kong and develop my career. I worked in some prestige architectural firms to hover experience, practice my skills and strengthen my creative and critical thinking. Via participating the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition organised by Hong Kong Tourism Board, it encouraged and inspired me to establish my own firm with my friends and partners.
Since my childhood, I developed an enthusiastic to art and architecture. When I come to a point in choosing my major in college, I designed to learn architecture as it is the most complicated art and design, which evoked my passion to challenge it. To be an architect come naturally to me. My interest in art and design equipped me with a creative mind to generate unique ideas and realise it.
Research would be the most important part of the design process. Via extensive research we can ensure our design is not just a form, it is a structure with creativity, story and message which evoked people to think.
In the entire design process, I can always feel the adrenaline pumping up to encourage me to challenge and conquer the brief and clients' expectation.
I think it is the curiosity I born with. I have a natural interest to find answers to everything. Exploring different aspects of knowledge and understanding and comprehend what confused me. I found reading books is the best way.
From the beginning, till present and future, participate competition and gain the chance to build is the sole plan we have. The sense of achievement, exploring, experiencing and executing our design philosophy via various challenges is the way we grow and the means we surpass ourselves.
As a designer, you must love what you do. It needs time to build up your character. Experience and time is the key to cultivate a good design. When the time comes you will seize it with your profound experience from life and works, then you will achieve your goal in a blink.
You have to design from your heart. Be empathetic and comprehend your brief, design the best for your users. Dig deep and make sure you consider all aspects, then your design will fill with your characters and enjoy the happiness in the process and sense of achievement.
I have an ordinary life. Taking care of my studio, design, my kids and family.
I did not intentionally keep up. We focus on doing a right design for the right context. When we considered all aspects of the design, then it becomes the trend.
From an architect point of view, a good architectural design should be able to bring joy to the users. The smile when they use or experience the architecture is a sign of a good design.
I never decide on this. Every minute we have new ideas comes up and it makes the design better.
Rising Moon is the biggest. As it is our first project which has an influence on everything around me. It is a milestone when it won the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition organised by Hong Kong Tourism Board and received the Platinum awards of A'Design Awards.
My favourite architect is Carlos Scarpa. His creativity and ability in translate the history, culture and arts to architecture are unique and one of a kind.
I am an architect, art collector and educator. I fond of art and architecture, I collect contemporary art for over 10 years. I love to travel over the world to see art and architecture for inspiration. We have projects in Hong Kong, Australia, China, Italy, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan and UAE, which is exciting and meaningful to exploring the world with our design.
We utilise our strength, passion and profession to reach for our dreams. We have a vision that is characterised by articulating creative and alternative solutions to the complex social challenges today.
As an architect, I contribute my professional knowledge to the society, not only design for the community but also actively participate in volunteer and educational work. For instances, being the Chairman of Hong Kong Institute of Architects Community Development Committee and Young Architect Awards and teaching in Architecture Department of Chu Hai Higher Education College.
In 2014, Rising Moon received the Platinum Awards of A'Design Awards. We joined the awards ceremony, which gave us a wonderful opportunity to meet designers from all over the worlds, our friends from China and Japan, some new faces from America and Europe. We connected with designers in various disciplines and via the development of social media and communication method, we keep in touch and updating each other. It is an unforgettable experience and expanded our network.
Designer Interview
20 March 2018
Stanley Siu grew up and studied in New Zealand where he received his Bachelor of Architecture from UNITEC School of Architecture. He returned to Hong Kong after graduation and has practiced as an architect on a number of residential, commercial, master planning, cultural and sustainability projects in Hong Kong and China. He is now a senior architect at Gravity Partnership responsible for project design from inception to detailed design stages, and project administration including building approval application to local authorities, through preliminary design stage to project completion.Stanley’s passion in architecture has extended from profession to institution, as a full member and a board member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architect, he participated in several committees and helped organize a number of major events for the Institute and other Non-Profit Organizations including Yan Oi Tong, Friends of the Earth (HK), World Vision, Heep Hong Society and St. James’ Settlement.Stanley’s professional activities and interests are split equally between architecture and contemporary art. He participated as a team in 2011-2012 Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism / Architecture showing the work “Sugar Treasure”. In May 2013, Stanley has collaborated with a local artist and showcased their exhibition “Crafting Sky”. Within the same year, Stanley was invited as an exhibitor to showcase his works in two group exhibitions amongst other renowned architects and artists. The first one is the Social Innovation Festival by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Jockey Club Design Institute and the Reveal exhibition organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. In 2014, Stanley co-founded 100ft Park, a non-commercial art space aiming to provide an open platform for the local young artists to share their creative thoughts.In 2012 Stanley found a group called Daydreamers Design, it is an art & design collaboration constantly engaged in the art, design, and architectural scene locally and globally. Aiming to synthesize individual methodologies and educe sophisticated design solutions through research, curatorship, collaboration with various artists and designers, as well as active engagements in social dialogue. With the leadership of Stanley, Daydreamers Design have participated the 2013 Lantern Wonderland competition organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and they have received the Gold Award. The winning design “Rising Moon” was constructed within 12 days and exhibited during the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Victoria Park, a combination of large scale public art and architecture. Sustainability was the fundamental concept; Stanley has decided using recycled water bottles and low energy consumption LED lights to construct the 20 meters diameter hemisphere and it was well received by the public. During the festival, the media was overwhelmed by the winning design locally and globally, therefore attracted over 500,000 local and overseas visitors to gathered at Rising Moon with their family and friends during the festival. Stanley was able to demonstrate his design and management abilities by leading his design team and the whole consultant team for this magnificent project and the outcome was successful. By using the architecture and art medium, Stanley not only unified the locals harmonically during the festival, but also demonstrated to the overseas countries that Hong Kong architects are able to produce world class design and have the ability to compete with the rest of the world within the field of architecture and art.In 2014, Stanley has received the Young Architect Awards 2013 by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. This is one the most prestigious award in Hong Kong to honour and acknowledge the talents and contribution of Stanley’s achievements in the field of Art and Architecture.
Daydreamers Design, it is an art & design collaboration constantly engaged in the art, design, and architectural scene locally and globally. Aiming to synthesize individual methodologies and educe sophisticated design solutions through research, curatorship and collaboration with various artists and designers, as well as active engagements in social dialogue.
Design is when imaginations and dreams came true.
Anything challenging.
Rising Moon.It is a design that balances between aesthetic & capability, and also a great response to our nature.
Rising Moon.
I will first consider to re-use existing materials as to minimize impact to our nature.
As the deadline is approaching.
"Context, Aesthetic, Capability and Response to our Nature."
"I feel excited when ideas are running through my mind, where you feel anything is possible."
I get goose-bumps.
"A successful design is what designed for people."
"Context, Aesthetic, Capability and Response to our Nature."
As an architect, I will try to deliver the message of sustainability through my architectural design, like Rising Moon, to produce a design that would arouse the public on the awareness of environment and also our society.
Sustainability is definitely one of the major considerations in our future design.
“Design Shanghai 2013” Art Exhibition at Power Station of Art, Shanghai.“Affordable Art Fair 2014” Art Exhibition at HKCEC, Hong Kong.
My inspiration usually came from our nature, my daily life and my knowledge on contemporary arts.
My inspiration usually came from our nature, my daily life, my memories, and my knowledge on contemporary arts.
I am based in Hong Kong where the East meet West and it is a 24-hours city. It is important for an architect to work and live in a city that he or she is comfortable with. Hong Kong gives me a lot of inspiration on design because it is a multi cultural city and a contemporary art hub where one can meet different kinds of people and see various art works which allows the architect to open up their thoughts.
Strike a balance between Capability & Design.
Sketch, Trial, Error."Drawing, Testing, Failing & Arguing and repeating a hundred times more."
Lifts, Electricity Socket, Water Faucet, Internet router & Refrigerator.
I am a daydreamer, I daydream everyday.
Make as much mistakes as possible while you are still young.
Architect's life is full of excitement but at the same time you will be facing a lot of deadlines therefore you will sacrifice most of your social and sleeping time.
It is important for a designer to able to sketch in order to deliver his or her ideas.
My inspiration usually came from our nature, my daily life and my knowledge on contemporary arts. I develop my concepts through sketches and within our studio; we are using all kinds of architectural software from drafting to 3d modeling. Recently we are starting to make study models with 3d printing machine.
This is why we work as a team and within our team we share our workloads.
It depends on the scale of the project and the actual time allow for this particular project, but usually 2 to 3 weeks from initial concept to final rendering.
"how did you came up with such great idea?""Why?"
As a teenager, i usually spent my summer helping my uncle who was a graphic & signage designer in New Zealand. His studio was basically our garage where he sketches, paints and manufactures sign boards. Through observation and actual physical help i have learn the fundamental of design and set a solid foundation for my future career. He has taught me the basic of design through craftsmanship.
Hong Kong Tourism Board, Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
I like architectural design the most mainly because I was educated as an architect and I consider architecture as the complex of all arts.
Our studio will continue to participate in various projects in the field of art & architecture. We will continue to pursuit our dreams.
One of our studio's core values is Teamwork; we believed that great designs came from discussions and debates. Therefore, most of our concepts were developed as a team.
Recently our studio was invited by the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong to design an permanent sculpture in one of their new environmental treatment facility. They were impressed with our design Rising Moon and would like our studio to come up with a new design that would arouse the public on the awareness of sustainability.
Anyone who would like to contact me can send me an email to my personal email: kistansk6@yahoo.com