In the post-war decades, Hong Kong architects, many of them having migrated from Mainland China or studied overseas, embraced modern principles when forced to face the problems of housing shortage, mass construction and limited budgets. Although economic efficiencies often prevailed over design, their buildings were rooted in their time and place, reflecting the local climate, social values, materials, technique and use in an often unique and pragmatic fashion.

With more than 300 buildings and ensembles documented, the new publication “Hong Kong Modern Architecture of the 1950s-1970s” by Walter Koditek gives a comprehensive overview on the architecture of that transformative period in combining full-page photographs with detailed background information and further b/w images explaining and illustrating the design and history of these buildings. Information about the architects behind the projects and a series of academic essays penned by renowned scholars Cecilia L. CHU, Eunice SENG, Ying ZHOU, and Charles LAI complement the publication.

While the book does not seek to provide a complete inventory, its unique documentary format, which deliberately mixes well-known architectural masterpieces with more mundane structures under seven specific building categories, invites viewers to comprehend the intrinsic relationships between these built forms and how their designs have been simultaneously shaped by the advent of the international Modern Movement and adaptions to the local context. Crucially, the uniform framing and composition of these compelling facade images directs attention not only to often overlooked architectural details, but also to the varied informal appropriations that transformed their modernist characters over time.

The book aims to serve as a reference and enhance knowledge on modernist architecture of the post-war era in Hong Kong, and will contribute to the discussion of its architectural merit, historic and cultural values. Its publication was supported by the Goethe-Institut Hongkong, Design Trust Seed Grant, and Docomomo Hong Kong.

About the Author:

Walter Koditek is a German urban planner, author and photographer based in Hong Kong. After graduating at Technical University Berlin, Walter’s first professional life had him practicing for almost two decades at various planning/design consultancies and teaching at university. In 2006, he relocated to Asia, where he worked as an urban planning expert in Cambodia and Vietnam. He moved on to Hong Kong in 2014, using the city as a base for his consultant work, and documenting its unique architectural landscape with his camera whenever possible. Walter has always been a strong advocate of cultural heritage conservation. He published the photo book Battambang Heritage (2018, Apsara Books, Hong Kong) and co-authored the Architectural Guide Phnom Penh (2020, DOM Publishers, Berlin), before focusing on the modernist architectural legacy of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Modern featured in China Daily HK:

由 Walter Koditek 撰著的《香港摩登：一九五零至七零年代建築》一書，全方位結合攝影、詳細背景資料和學術論文，概述了香港於五十至七十年代的轉型時期的建築。在戰後的數十年間，許多從中國大陸移民或於海外學有所成的香港建築師，他們領會到如何以現代原則去處理房屋短缺、大規模建設及預算有限的問題。儘管經濟效益往往高於設計考量，但建築師們仍然以設計植根於他們所處的時期，以一種獨特且務實的方式反映出當下的氣候、社會價值觀、材料、技術和用途。本書記錄了超過 300 多座的建築及建築群，目的在於作為加深讀者對香港戰後現代主義建築的了解及參考，並協力帶出關於建築價值、歷史和文化價值的討論。本出版物獲得香港Docomomo公司、設計信托基金種子基金和香港歌德學院的支持。 

Walter Koditek 生於德國，是一名城市規劃師、作家和攝影師，現居香港。在柏林工業大學畢業後， Walter 第一階段的職業生涯讓他在各種規劃/設計諮詢公司獲得近二十年經驗，其後於大學任教。 於2006年他移居亞洲，在柬埔寨和越南擔任城市規劃專家；於 2014 年移居香港，以這座城市作為顧問工作的基地，儘其所能去以相機記錄香港獨特的建築景觀。 Walter  一直致力於作為文化遺產保護的倡導者。他出版過攝影集Battambang Heritage》（2018 年，Apsara Books，香港），並合著了《Architectural Guide Phnom Penh》（2020 年，DOM Publishers，柏林），其後專注於香港的現代主義建築遺產。