Letters | Architecture in the post-coronavirus era must focus on the needs of the many

If we continue to celebrate the high-end market instead of aspiring to build sustainably for people across the socioeconomic spectrum, we will all continue to suffer the social divide

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A public housing estate (left) stands next to Home Ownership Scheme housing in Shau Kei Wan in January 2019. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 1:10am, 20 Sep 2020Updated: 1:10am, 20 Sep 2020

As an architect, I found the article “Designing for the recovery” (September 2) in the Property Matters section of the Post disturbing because it focused on the post-lockdown thoughts of architects working at the high end of the property market.

Most of humanity does not live in these high-end properties. Most people struggle to afford such lifestyles and we live in an age in which property is just another commodity traded by investors. Our cities old and new are the result of some developers’ visions for building increasingly smaller places for people to exist rather than places that allow people to live.

This is driven by the principles of land prices, design, construction costs and profit. The article focused on residential solutions and mooted the need for space standards to derive minimum acceptance criteria that enable the making of a home to suit its inhabitants.

The battleground between profit and sustainability is part of the place-making process underpinning the ability of people of any socioeconomic standing to live ideally, in harmony and relative comfort. If we continue to celebrate the high-end market and forget the needs of the many, we will all continue to suffer the social divide and the social impact of limited mobility and access to an affordable home.

02:08

Prefabricated flats quickly take shape in Hong Kong as city tries out new construction technique

Homes that support multigenerational families living under one roof, the ability to work from home and enjoy clean air, water and hygiene are the new basics that sustain human life and are critical at this juncture, as we reflect on our existence on Earth and our custodianship of it.