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08 Feb 2024   /   EVENTS
‘TRANSFORMATIVE HONG KONG’ RETURNS TO CENTRAL MARKET
Hong Kong’s exhibition for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia has returned to preview at the Central Market in Hong Kong from February until 11 March. Lead8 is proud to be one of the exhibitors selected for the Hong Kong exhibition that explores the critical territorial, architectural and urban space issues facing Hong Kong’s future.



David Buffonge, Co Founder & Executive Director at Lead8, joined the Opening Forum to celebrate the commencement of the returning exhibition. Titled ‘Transformative Hong Kong and Public Space’, David joined fellow industry panellists to reflect on their interpretation of Hong Kong’s unique spatial urban conditions and how they see challenges and opportunities for the future of Hong Kong public space architecture.



Fellow panellists included Donald Choi (Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group), Herbert Hung (Associate Director, Rocco Architects Associates), Professor Hendrik Tieben (VBHK Curator 18th Edition 2023 and Director, CUHK School of Architecture), with the discussion moderated by Catherine Shaw (Architecture and design author).



The forum was followed by the opening ceremony, officiated by the guest of honour, Mr Raistlin Lau, JP, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of HKSAR.
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12 Jan 2024   /   EVENTS
VICTORIA HARBOUR 2035 DESIGN COMPETITION
Lead8 is proud to support the ‘Victoria Harbour 2035: Destinations to Rejuvenate Hong Kong’ design competition.


A joint initiative by the Harbour Business Forum (HBF) and Business Environment Council (BEC), the competition welcomes current and past students of Hong Kong’s leading universities to submit proposals for revitalising different catchments along the harbourfront.


“Since our inception almost a decade ago, Lead8 has had a desire to drive conversations around the development of Victoria Harbour as a world-class asset for our home city of Hong Kong. This design competition touches on many themes uncovered in our HarbourLoop initiative and we are thrilled to see the younger generation building upon a future vision for Victoria Harbour,” said David Buffonge, Co Founder & Executive Director at Lead8.


The competition presents an opportunity for Hong Kong to shine a spotlight on harbourfront issues, engage the younger generation and the community in planning for its future. Five catchment areas have been nominated as having potential for future revitalisation and include:


1. Hung Hom and TST East Harbourfront
2. Central Harbourfront Ferry Terminals
3. Kai Tak and Kwun Tong Harbourfront
4. Kennedy Town and Belcher Bay Promenade
5. Chai Wan Basin
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01 Jun 2023   /   MEDIA
SCMP ON 'TRANSFORMATIVE HONG KONG' AT THE VENICE BIENNALE
Lead8's HarbourLoop joins Hong Kong Exhibition

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has covered the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale and the ‘Transformative Hong Kong’ Exhibition, sharing that sustainable, human architecture has come to the fore as designers explore the future of a city at a crossroads.

The 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale spotlights processes shaping the built environment, and Hong Kong’s contributions, including Lead8’s exhibit, highlight the city’s transformation.
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25 May 2023   /   PRESS RELEASE
THE 'TRANSFORMATIVE HONG KONG' EXHIBITION OPENS IN VENICE
Lead8 Reimagines the Victoria Harbour for the Venice Biennale

The 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia has opened in Venice, Italy, featuring the ‘Transformative Hong Kong’ Exhibition. Lead8 is proud to be one of the exhibitors within the Hong Kong Exhibition that explores the critical territorial, architectural and urban space issues facing Hong Kong’s future.

“This exhibition looks at how the city can be used as a laboratory to meet the challenges faced by the future generation of Hong Kong. With our team at Lead8, we considered the future of Hong Kong’s most recognisable and beloved icons, the Star Ferry and Victoria Harbour,” said David Buffonge, Co Founder & Executive Director at Lead8.

The Star Ferry Reimagined

Lead8’s exhibit explores the Star Ferry, an institution of public life in Hong Kong for 125 years. While the Star Ferry has become an icon for the city, its future has become uncertain in recent years. With the proliferation of the cross-harbour MTR and vehicular tunnels, its role as the primary mode of transportation across the harbour has significantly diminished.

Through a self-driven initiative, Lead8 hosted a series of participatory design workshops and research initiatives co-creating with the next generation, exploring the transformation of the harbourfront and reimagining the ability to connect both sides of the harbour.

Through this lens, the Star Ferry and its piers present an opportunity for transformation from single-use transit infrastructure to a multi-faceted representation of their significant cultural, historical, and social meaning for Hong Kong.

“Our exhibit explores the potential of one of Hong Kong’s most recognisable places and experiences to be transformed for a new generation, preserving its formidable history while further integrating it within Hong Kong’s evolving urban fabric,” commented Simon Chua, Co Founder & Executive Director at Lead8.
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23 Mar 2023   /   RESEARCH
CONNECTING HONG KONG’S HARBOURFRONT
Is Hong Kong one step closer to a ‘HarbourLoop’?

Hong Kong is set to amend the law protecting Victoria Harbour from major reclamation projects, seen as an act of cutting the red tape surrounding harbourfront enhancement.

The South China Morning Post recently reported the Secretary for Development’s comments that the protection law would be amended to introduce a simple mechanism for handling small-scale reclamation related to harbourfront improvements, such as piers and boardwalks. Beyond this, the government noted there was no intention of further reclaiming the harbour for land production.

“Victoria Harbour is the jewel of Hong Kong. We strongly believe by connecting the harbourfront and making it easily accessible to the public and neighbouring waterfront districts that the community and environment will greatly benefit. Creating a connected walkable pathway delivers a zero-carbon mobility network for Hong Kong while also improving the public realm and activated amenities along the city’s most famous natural asset,” said David Buffonge, Co Founder & Executive Director of Lead8.
Details
11 Nov 2021   /   RESEARCH
HOW HONG KONG'S WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT IS PROGRESSING
HarbourLoop in 2021

Initiated by Lead8 in 2015, HarbourLoop is a vision to unite existing and future planned sections of Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour by transforming the waterfront and underutilised coastal land with a multi-use activity pathway.

The original concept proposed a continuous 23-kilometre loop around the harbour, encompassing both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. To complete the loop, two physical crossings were envisioned between Lei Yue Mun and Shau Kei Wan and between the Central Ferry Piers and West Kowloon Cultural District. Since then, this vision has been evolving. By encompassing the planned waterfront features in the Kai Tak Development area, the HarbourLoop proposal now comprises 30 kilometres of waterfront land.

In recent years, Harbourside development in Hong Kong has taken significant strides, with underutilised coastal land now rare. However, being fragmented into tens of segments and phases, it is often unknown which parts of the harbourfront are open or opening to the public. Here we explore the past, present, and promising future of HarbourLoop's waterfront.
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26 Feb 2021   /   RESEARCH
3D MAPPING HARBOURLOOP DISTRICTS
Lead8 is in the final stage of its preliminary impact study for HarbourLoop in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The research uses innovative Spatial Design Network Analysis (sDNA), developed by Cardiff University in conjunction with HKU, to map a 3D pedestrian network around HarbourLoop.

The ongoing project aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of the current walkability between districts and Hong Kong’s harbourfront. The software enables the HarbourLoop proposal to be analysed with real data and reveal the effect of integrating neighbourhoods to a waterfront mobility network.

The initial phase selected Quarry Bay as the case study from which future districts could be modelled. With the decentralisation of Hong Kong’s CBD, emerging waterfront commercial districts such as Island East present compelling opportunities. Using network science, the team has mapped the current pedestrian networks across Quarry Bay and can model the result of differing interventions.

“The HarbourLoop proposal is extremely fortunate to benefit from this cutting-edge technology by HKU. Our team is helping to build a deeper understanding of the connectivity around Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and make evidence-based planning suggestions that we hope will help to create future change for the city’s urban planning,” said David Buffonge, Co Founder & Executive Director at Lead8.
Details
12 Nov 2020   /   EVENTS
LEAD8 SPEAKS AT ULI ‘NEW CENTRAL: WALK & TALK’ WEBINAR SERIES
Thank you to ULI Hong Kong for inviting Lead8 Co Founder & Executive Director David Buffonge to join in the ‘Forum for a New Central’ Webinar series.

The ‘New Central: Walk & Talk’ session brought together David and fellow industry leaders and specialists to discuss walkable urbanism, human-centred planning and pedestrianisation initiatives in Hong Kong. The session showcased a collective enthusiasm for Hong Kong’s urban development and how different initiatives are moving the agenda forward.

“Our attitudes towards public space are changing – illuminating new possibilities for our city environments. Discussions such as today’s shine a light on the wide-ranging conversations needed to make these projects possible, from public-private collaboration to stakeholder engagement and the urban design strategies,” said David.
Details
22 Apr 2020   /   RESEARCH
LEAD8 X HKU: MAPPING HARBOURLOOP
Lead8 is collaborating with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to map a 3D pedestrian network around HarbourLoop using the latest Spatial Design Network Analysis (sDNA) software.
Details