Thursday 23 February 2012

From Hong Kong to Athens

1. Iconography; the FLAG, BANKNOTE, STAMP
2. HK's Flag
3. HK's Banknote & Stamp
4. ATHENS; the OLYMPIC 2004 Nexus
5. The Olympics
6. Olympics 2004 Commemorative Coins
7. Olympics 2004 Commemorative Stamps
8. ATHENS; Imprisoned by its Glorious Past?
9. ATHENS; Acropolis & Olympics 2004 Effects Consolidated
10. ATHENS; Between Ancient & Modern
11. Modern ATHENS; Triangle Explained
12. Modern ATHENS; Urban Fragments
13. Modern ATHENS; Point of Views- From Ground Level to Elevated Platforms
14. Identity Nexus; From Iconography to Built Environment, HK to Athens
15. HK; Charms of Bridges Street Market (The Site)
16. HK; The City of 3-Dimensional Verticality

Tuesday 21 February 2012

A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities

Multiculturalism is a phenomenon not only present in historical cities but also in the making of many cities today. Rapid globalization seems to be transforming cities at an ever-accelerating speed. What price do we pay if we go too fast? At the price of shedding identity? Imagine an almost Utopian condition but yet the city is unrecognized as multicultural identity relinquished in the face of more mundane considerations. The fundamental question of the state of multiculturalism in today’s context commands our thoughtful attention in these huge waves of development. 

A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities.pdf

Thursday 2 February 2012

What Happened to this Dream of an Alternative Greek Future?


Koolhaas sees European cities as being condemned to immobility, caused by their historical identity itself: “The stronger the identity, the more it imprisons, the more it resists expansion, interpretation, renewal, contradiction.” 

New buildings and towns come to be considered among the most inalienable proofs of progress and national accomplishment. In fact, architecture and town planning were the only proof of progress; the vision of human settlement. 

New Athens was tasked with reinventing the cradle of civilization; giving it a capital city "worthy of a name be equal with the ancient fame and glory of the city and worthy of the century in which we live". Unfortunately, things were too radical, the plan was proved too costly; some described New Athens as "a town which does not have a road, but they were starting to build a palace". 

And thus, this picture depicts the result of a city through the past two thousand years; visually confused