Green architecture and community design are regarded as crucial components in achieving urban sustainable development, and Wong Wai Hiu Lucas, a fourth-year student in the School of Architecture, has made this his career aspiration. Driven by passion for architecture and innovative design ideas, he won awards including the 2025 Innovation and Technology Scholarship and the Chung Chi Academic Creativity Award, as well as an opportunity to study at an American university for a semester. Lucas will share his experiences and insights into this issue.

Q: Could you share your experience participating in the 2025 Innovation and Technology Scholarship?

A: This was my second attempt at this scholarship. The first time I applied was during my second year, focusing on the same area of "Sustainable Development and Green Technology” but I was unsuccessful. I then dedicated myself to deepening my knowledge of green architecture and exploring other interesting environmental and architectural issues. This allowed me to present my ideas far more systematically in my second application, explaining how innovation could be introduced within my field and how the environmental performance of architectural technologies might be improved.

During the interview, the panel posed a question: if you were the Secretary for Environment, what would you do? As it happened, I attended a lecture by former Secretary for Environment Wong Kam Sing and had conversation with him personally. Since he was a green architect before taking on that government role — exactly the kind of career I aspire to be — his insights into me are lasting. This experience allowed me to offer concrete and well-informed perspectives during the interview.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Sun Dong (right), presents the Innovation and Technology Scholarship to Lucas.

Q: Having been awarded the scholarship, you spent last semester on exchange at Pennsylvania State University. What did you learn?

A: In my experience, the academic intensity at American universities was considerably higher than what I was used to in Hong Kong. We had three classes per week, and each session required the submission of an architectural model, covering areas such as spatial exploration, the impact of materials on structure, and the environmental sustainability of designs. This mode of training was genuinely enlightening. I recall one assignment where we were asked to submit a new design for a fire station near campus. Sticking to the design principles I had grown accustomed to in Hong Kong — open plazas, natural lighting, and good ventilation — I was told by my tutor that my design had failed to account for the harsh local winters, making it impractical for staff to move around. This was a valuable lesson: architectural design must thoroughly consider the natural environment, and a minor detail can turn out to be a critical factor.

The diversity of the American society also meant that different instructors brought distinctly different perspectives. One of my tutors, an American, emphasised practicality and cost-effectiveness, challenging students to produce feasible and creative designs within a limited budget. Another Iranian tutor placed greater emphasis on the user experience, from the aesthetics of exterior down to the height of walls and steps — in terms of both visual appeal and physical comfort.

Q: Why are you particularly concerned about urban renewal in local old districts?

A: My interest began in secondary school, where I studied geography and became especially drawn to topics relating to urban sustainability and renewal. I also love to wander through old districts with my camera, frequently visiting areas like Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, and Kwun Tong. I like these districts — they carry real cultural value, a warm community spirit, and an architectural diversity. Yet they face undeniable challenges, as many of their buildings were constructed fifty or even seventy years ago and no longer meet current community needs or regulatory standards. The question is: how do we renew these areas while preserving what makes them special, avoiding the kind of "bulldozer" redevelopment that erases histories and connections?

Utopian Street Library, my award-winning submission for the Chung Chi Academic Creativity Award, was a community architectural design inspired by Sai Ying Pun. In the past, the district featured wide pavements that served as vital social spaces where residents gathered and connected. Today, much of that space has been converted to road use, diminishing the spaces for community interaction. So, I designed a social library modelled on the spatial pattern of Sai Ying Pun's past streetscape, a design intended to provide community facilities while recreating opportunities for residents to reconnect with one another.

Lucas was awarded 2025 Chung Chi Academic Creativity Award for his design Utopian Street Library (left), The design, inspired by Sai Ying Pun, recreates the spatial pattern of former community spaces while integrating library functions, providing residents with a place to rebuild interpersonal connections. At his first year at university, Lucas and his classmates won an award in a Hong Kong Green Building Council’s competition, with a proposal to redesign Kowloon City Plaza (right).

Q: How do you see the importance of green architecture, and what kinds of work in this field would you like to pursue in the future?

A: Over sixty percent of Hong Kong's carbon emissions come from buildings — a remarkably high proportion — with the main sources being electricity consumption for air conditioning and lighting. Green architectural design strategies, such as maximising natural daylight and ventilation, can significantly reduce energy use and, in turn, lower electricity costs, contributing to both environmental and economic sustainability. Indeed, green architecture is an imperative both for Hong Kong and for the world. As climate change accelerates, our respond to rising sea levels will become increasingly urgent.

My professional aspirations lie in becoming both a green architect and a construction manager. The former, inspired by Wong Kam Sing's career, focuses on reducing a building's environmental side effect through design. The latter concerns the execution of projects, for example, minimising carbon emissions during the construction process by bringing together architects, engineers, and workers around shared environmental and emission-reduction goals. I find this a meaningful pursuit.