CUHK Master of Architecture Year Show 2025

CUHK Master of Architecture Year Show 2025 CUHK Master of Architecture Year Show is an annual exhibition of student architectural thesis project

This year is the 26th anniversary of this event and we wish to not only commemorate the success of the past 26 years, but also to celebrate our promising future. As a memorable event to celebrate the achievements and testament of the graduates, we wish to reflect and look back on how the previous 26 years of M.Arch students have evolved and transformed - how the ever-changing image of society is a

bsorbed and illustrated in the different years of thesis architecture projects, as well as how these innovative ideas serve as a projection of what their future could be. This year’s Graduation Show envisions to share this significant culminating moment of transition between academic and professional career and engage the public.

Nomadic Lifestyle BY CHEUNG, Yuk Hong, JimmyNomadic Lifestyle reimagines the concept of “home” from a fixed, concrete bo...
07/06/2026

Nomadic Lifestyle

BY CHEUNG, Yuk Hong, Jimmy

Nomadic Lifestyle reimagines the concept of “home” from a fixed, concrete box into a fluid, mobile entity designed to navigate the unique urban pressures of Hong Kong. In a city where over 200,000 people reside in cramped subdivided units while 800,000 vehicles sit idle most of the time, this project proposes a “double density” solution that merges human habitation with vehicular mobility. By transforming the home into a modular vehicle that docks into a regional mega-structure, the project addresses the growing “One Hour Living Circle” between Hong Kong and Shenzhen and the needs of a highly mobile workforce.

The architectural strategy focuses on Infill Development, utilizing Interchange Hubs built above existing infrastructure, such as the elevated railway between Kwun Tong and Ngau Tau Kok. These mega-structures serve as docking stations where private vehicular pods interface with shared co-living spaces, creating a “micro-neighborhood” that balances individual privacy with community interaction. This allows residents to unhook their living units and relocate across the city’s transport interfaces whenever their social or professional needs shift.

Studio: FRAMES- Megastudio 3
Tutors: LAM, Tat

Garden of Choreographed LightBY WU, King Sze, Maggie This project confronts dense Asian cities’ funeral paradox: massive...
07/06/2026

Garden of Choreographed Light

BY WU, King Sze, Maggie

This project confronts dense Asian cities’ funeral paradox: massive cremation demand meets eroded ritual meaning. How can light choreograph grief in Tokyo’s high-density rituals?
Hong Kong research exposed emotionless columbaria. Yanaka’s temple-cemetery fabric inspired a fragmented village: ritual pavilions in a holistic Zen garden matrix.

Cremation sequence drives design: dappled light calms arrival; vertical skylights intensify farewell; landscape glazing dignifies furnace; tea house diffusion aids recovery; immersive light frames bone collection. Corridors make transitions luminous. Zen gardens evolved from backdrop to spatial matrix, organising ritual progression.

This phenomenological machine restores ritual meaning through contextual fragmentation. In Yanaka’s village, light heals.



Studio: FRAMES- Lessons for Hyper-Dense Cities: The Hong Kong Perspective
Tutors: TANG, Elva / GODEFROY, Claude

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Casa di Municipalità 6 (Home of municipality 6)BY PENG, Xinhui, Peng The project addresses in San Giovanni a Teduccio. T...
25/05/2026

Casa di Municipalità 6 (Home of municipality 6)

BY PENG, Xinhui, Peng

The project addresses in San Giovanni a Teduccio. This area faces two big problems: many students drop out of school, and many people are unemployed. The area also lacks public places to meet. The design uses architecture to rethink the social structure. By filling the empty space for public life, the project turns the site into a positive place that tackles the root causes of social weakness.

At the urban scale, the design connects with the city by removing hard boundaries. Instead of being a closed building, the plan is open and porous, letting the center blend into the community. Using nearby transport, it serves the people of Municipality 6. It also links with local schools and social groups, creating a support network that is part of the city’s fabric.

The project sees “Edges” as places for interaction, not as solid walls. By making the line between inside and outside unclear, it creates an open interface that welcomes the public.

At architectural scale, the building’s space is organized by semi-circular arches of different sizes. Large arches create open areas, medium arches divide rooms, and small, human-sized arches act as building parts. The structure uses a mix of steel frames and concrete walls. This creates a balance between a strong build and a look that is light and warm.

The most important part is how the structure is shown. By designing the connection between the steel and concrete walls, the project makes the arch structure look lighter. This smart engineering lets the classic arch shape feel light, which is different from the heavy look of many public buildings.
In the end, the project shows how new building methods can update old styles to meet today’s social needs.

Studio: Edges- From Marginal Spaces to Social Places: Napoli X Hong Kong
Tutors: ROSSINI, Francesco

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A Social Infrastructure Framework for Collective Housing BY NG, Ching Lam, ChelffyThe project addresses urban fragmentat...
25/05/2026

A Social Infrastructure Framework for Collective Housing

BY NG, Ching Lam, Chelffy

The project addresses urban fragmentation and social isolation in San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples. A neighborhood cut by infrastructure and social problems. The municipality plans to demolish the existing housing and rebuild with standard blocks. My proposal offers an alternative: It proposes a social infrastructure framework for housing where shared life is the permanent backbone and housing units can be removable plugins.

From a center point of the site, a main spine with up to three radial spines extends outward by aligning the site context, organizing three programmed levels: a ground market open to the urban city (+0m), a public shared garden and community kitchen (+6m), and a sky street with gym and library (+12m). Housing types (family, co‑living, and elderly) are connected to the spine, allowing flexibility over time. Five permeable openings in between housing blocks that break the existing wall every 60 meters, turning a hard edge into a series of public thresholds.

Residents of the housing block have the opportunity to personalize their living environments by interacting adjustable screens, movable planter boxes, and reconfigurable kitchen partitions. This design empowers residents by granting them direct agency to modify their spaces according to their preferences and needs. It also encourages social interactions.

The edges of the structure are designed to be negotiable interfaces, which means they can be adapted and transformed to serve multiple purposes, enhancing the overall functionality of the space.

In this approach to housing, the living environment is not just a collection of fixed units; it is a responsive and adaptable system that evolves alongside its inhabitants, promoting a sense of ownership and belonging.
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Studio: Edges- From Marginal Spaces to Social Places: Napoli X Hong Kong
Tutors: ROSSINI, Francesco

Thresholds of BelongingBY LIMBU, IsakThe ‘threshold of belonging’ negotiates profane versus sacred, chaos versus quiet, ...
24/05/2026

Thresholds of Belonging

BY LIMBU, Isak

The ‘threshold of belonging’ negotiates profane versus sacred, chaos versus quiet, and memory versus present. This project channels Temple Street’s raw energy into a journey from chaos to calm, arranged along a gradient of social intensity. Rooted in Yau Ma Tei’s layered decay, it becomes a living archive of daily rituals and intangible heritage—centered on an archive of quietude that turns architecture into a vessel for communal belonging.”



Studio: Edges- Grafting the Edge Façade and Memory in Urban Renewal
Tutors: HSU, Simon / LAW, Sebastian

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Garage Walled City: A High-Density Archive of Labor BY LEUNG, Ka Hei, GarySituated in the heart of To Kwa Wan, this proj...
24/05/2026

Garage Walled City: A High-Density Archive of Labor

BY LEUNG, Ka Hei, Gary

Situated in the heart of To Kwa Wan, this project serves as an architectural response to the encroaching threat of “tabula rasa” urban renewal. In a cluster of aging 1960s Tong Lau, currently, it is ecosystem of car-repair workshops. These buildings are often viewed as obsolete clutter. My project, however, treats them as a forensic archive of local memory, arguing that the soul of the district lies not in its concrete walls, but in the “performance of labor” that happens within them.

The primary intervention is a double-helix spiral ramp inserted directly into the original light well. This transforms a passive void into a mechanical heart, allowing cars to drive directly from the ground level to randomized workshops on every floor. By making the trade vertical, we reclaim the ground plane for the community without displacing the industry that sustains the local economy.

On the exterior, I’ve applied a strategy called “Grafting the Edge.” I have preserved the original facade as a monument to the district’s history, but a “Walled City” cannot be a closed box. To maintain the porosity of the original garages—which historically spilled out onto the sidewalks—I have extended the window openings outward to meet new external walkways. These elevated sidewalks wrap around the historic frame, integrated with the original restaurant signs and shop branding. This ensures that the visual identity of the street is not erased, but merely elevated.

The project concludes at the skyline with irregular glass “add-ons.” Inspired by the district’s history of informal rooftop structures, these lightweight interventions house community spaces and support nodes. By grafting these new steel and glass layers onto the old concrete, the building becomes a living stage. It proves that urban renewal can be a process of layering rather than clearing, ensuring that the memory of To Kwa Wan’s “Garage Walled City” remains a permanent part of the city’s future.



Studio: Edges- Grafting the Edge Façade and Memory in Urban Renewal
Tutors: HSU, Simon / LAW, Sebastian

The Chiu Chow Cultural Exchange BY KWAN, Cheuk Tin Constantine Challenging the conventional urban redevelopment model a...
24/05/2026

The Chiu Chow Cultural Exchange

BY KWAN, Cheuk Tin Constantine

Challenging the conventional urban redevelopment model adopted by the Urban Renewal Authority, the project proposes an alternative framework focusing small scale regeneration that minimizes displacement of people and businesses through phasing and façade reinterpretation. Hence, taking Kung Fu Tea and Chiu Chow culinary culture as medium to reinforce community values in the Kowloon City neighborhood.



Studio: Edges- Grafting the Edge Façade and Memory in Urban Renewal
Tutors: HSU, Simon / LAW, Sebastian

Negotiating The Edge in Tai Hang BY CHAN, Wing Tung, StephanieThis project revitalizes a traditional Tong Lau in Tai Han...
23/05/2026

Negotiating The Edge in Tai Hang

BY CHAN, Wing Tung, Stephanie

This project revitalizes a traditional Tong Lau in Tai Hang by intertwining a Dai Pai D**g with student housing, centered on the local ethics of “negotiated space” and mutual aid. Inspired by the informal cooperation between street stalls and neighbors, the design challenges rigid zoning by introducing flexible, time-shared programs. By weaving the collective memory of informal street life into a framework of “blurred boundaries” and “temporal sharing,” the design dissolves rigid property lines to establish a dynamic spatial contract. Through the fluid exchange of resources, the building translates the neighborhood’s spirit of mutual aid into a contemporary architectural language, breathing new life into the historical fabric of Tai Hang.

Studio: Edges- Grafting the Edge Façade and Memory in Urban Renewal
Tutors: HSU, Simon / LAW, Sebastian

Breathing Between Forest And PalmBY WONG, Yat Mo, SunnyThis project is rooted in a landscape where the forest no longer ...
23/05/2026

Breathing Between Forest And Palm

BY WONG, Yat Mo, Sunny

This project is rooted in a landscape where the forest no longer fades gently into farmland, but stops abruptly at the edge of industrial palm cultivation.

Rather than treating this condition only as an environmental problem, the project reframes it that can be read through the movement of a child across the terrain. From the quiet density of monsoon forest, through stones, fire, fear, and finally into the exposed openness of plantations and urban edges, the journey reveals how land transitions have lost their softness.

The project responds by proposing the reconstruction of the ecotone as a living, inhabitable system. Instead of restoring the forest backward in time, the project accepts human presence while repairing ecological processes. Palm cultivation is no longer isolated from forest life, but gradually transformed through layered planting, water systems, shade structures, and animal corridors.

The edge is no longer a line. It becomes a breathing field.

This project explores the transformation of a palm monoculture landscape into a regenerative forest system. Through spatial interventions that operate as ecological catalysts, architecture is conceived as a temporal framework that supports succession, interaction, and co-habitation between human and more-than-human communities. Rather than imposing form, the design negotiates with existing terrain, water flows, and vegetation patterns, allowing built structures to gradually dissolve into the evolving forest.



Studio: Edges- Design Beyond Boundaries
Tutors: ZHANG, Lily

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