Deconstructivism in architecture, or Decon for short, is a style or movement which became popular in the late 1980s, as part of Postmodernism. Decon architecture sought to investigate the different possibilities of “what is architecture?” Photographer Adrian Lo, who is completing a PhD in the field of architecture, notes four such deconstructivist examples in Hong Kong.
Zaha Hadid’s Jockey Club Innovation Tower, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, 2013
Zaha Hadid (Iraqi-British, b. 1950), a leading lady contemporary architect of international acclaim, rose to “star-architect” status for her Peak Project competition, which remains unbuilt. Her first building in Hong Kong is the Innovation Tower at PolyU.
Frank Gehry’s Opus Apartment, Wan Chai peak, 2012
Frank Gehry (Canadian-American, b. 1929) is notably one of the most significant architects of today. Famous for his iconic Guggenheim Bilbao museum in Spain, his work blends sculpture with architecture. His first building in Hong Kong is the most expensive apartment building in the city.
Frank Gehry’s Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre, Tuen Mun Hospital, 2013
Gehry’s Maggie Center, is part of a series of Maggie Centres around the world, named after the wife of architectural theorist Charles Jencks. The Maggie Centre in Hong Kong is comprised of a series of pavilions, integrating and weaving between inside and outside spaces.
Daniel Libeskind’s Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, City University, Kowloon Tong, 2011
Daniel Libeskind (Polish-American, b. 1946) is famous for his Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany. His academic building, up the hill from the Kowloon Tong MTR station, is for creative media disciplines, equipped with studios, lecture rooms, labs, etc.
