An innovative art school designed specifically for visually impaired students is among the standout architectural projects showcased in the latest collection from My Archischool, a Hong Kong-based educational organization. The comprehensive showcase also features a biology school inspired by the human body and a meditation center that floats on water, demonstrating the creative potential of young architects aged six to 18.
My Archischool offers both in-person and online courses through its Architectural Design Programme 1.0, Architectural Jewelry Design, Mathematical Visualization, and Architectural Authorship Programme, all under the guidance of tutor Alice Cheung. The organization has begun experimenting with sustainable design and wooden architecture to reduce carbon emissions from concrete construction. The studio provides foundational architectural education and digital design training for students seeking to develop skills for future careers in architecture and urban planning.
The program packages range from beginner-level instruction to comprehensive eight-month courses that conclude with student exhibitions. Curriculum includes architecture history and theory, personal research projects, and portfolio development, with various stages designed to help students master different tools, interfaces, and design outputs.
Among the notable student projects, Anna Chu created a "Housing Design With City Living With Dogs," inspired by her beloved pet. The wooden high-rise housing features gardens for daily walks and sky gardens with protective barriers to optimize active play areas for dogs, addressing how high-density living has worsened public health conditions.
Coco Liu designed a restaurant project influenced by the sculptural form of a rice grain, highlighting the connection between urban dwellers and farmland. Her concept allows diners to consume the restaurant's homegrown edible flowers and herbs, reconnecting city people with the Earth and the origins of their food.
Performing arts found expression through Angelina Chen's Performing Art Centre Design. As an award-winning Chinese dance performer, Chen reinterpreted building space with elegant fluidity, featuring a plaza and main entrance with the stage located on the top level of the high-rise, complemented by a sky garden for social gathering.
Animal-friendly public spaces were explored by Gianna Lui in her café design for Pottinger Street. The café adopts pyramidal forms and high glass walls with a cozy color scheme, creating calmness through sunlight filtering through the building's gaps. Special VIP seating areas accommodate animals, including pets and birds.
Addressing mental health concerns, Sofiya Baskakova designed a floating refuge center to serve as a rescue station and meditation platform on water. Her design responds to exhaustion from work and high unemployment rates among young adults. The center's form draws inspiration from a lily flower, symbolizing the purity of the soul.
Claire Lee tackled the rising number of student suicides in Hong Kong with her youth retreat design inspired by a stingray. Believing that more outdoor spaces should be provided for young students, she created a design featuring a wooden deck leading to the main entrance, human-made rivers, and a circular lobby, with trees and bushes guarding the perimeter to balance public and private space.
David Ma's floating café design borrowed the form of a fish, exploring how different building materials could be mixed and matched to create a boat-like structure. Using materials ranging from wood to structural aluminum, he discovered how different material strengths could enhance each other both structurally and visually. The dining area occupies the lower deck, with the 'tail' zone serving as a communal area and the upper deck functioning as a gathering space for larger groups.
Music education was reimagined by William Yang, whose music school design draws inspiration from mountain ranges to create a powerful form that evokes an emotional journey. The project began with the concept of soundscapes with water, requiring visitors to pass through layers of spaces while surrounded by a water garden.
Alfred Fong approached his biology school design using an ergonomic approach inspired by the human body. An intersection of a rectangular structural spine and curvilinear enclosure allows floors to be connected effectively at both ends. His design examines new classroom layouts that could support better learning in the future while facilitating stronger communication among students, teachers, and the public.
The most impactful project comes from Albus Oscar Chung, whose art school design addresses the reality that books for visually impaired students are mostly blank, without graphics and images. Inspired by the form of a cone shell, he designed an art school village consisting of two schools—one for the visually impaired and another for sighted students. The ground floor features textured stone paving with all floor level differences removed, while the wooden structure of the buildings allows touch to serve as guidance for everyone. The smell of seawater and sounds of neighboring traffic provide directional signals, creating an inclusive environment where all students can navigate and learn together.
