The world needs more architects like Vicky Chan – the Founder of Avoid Obvious Architects with offices in New York and Hong Kong. Having graduated with a B. Arch degree from Pratt Institute, he has donned many hats like the Chairman of DVRC, leading the NGO to promote walkable design in Hong Kong from January 2021 to August 2024; School Manager of Ma On Shan Lutheran Primary School in Hong Kong since June 2023. He uses his expertise in architecture to make better learning environment for children; Board Member of HKALPS in Hong Kong since June 2022. HKALPS is a social enterprise to operate the VESSEL with 9,000m2 in Kwun Tong as a creative hub for cross generational experience.
Vicky Chan established Architecture for Children in June 2014 in Hong Kong with an aim to change the world through education. He reveals, “We are volunteers who teach children architecture. We see a lot of environmental problems to be the result of current politics. Through policy change, some of these problems won’t exist. We believe creative thinking can help to educate our future leaders. By teaching children early on about architecture, sustainable design, and urban planning, they will be more willing to accept new ideas as they grow up. When children reach the age to make important decisions, they will have all these important agendas in the back of their minds.” What a brilliant thought indeed!
Farm for the Community
In May 2012, Vicky Chan established Avoid Obvious Architects in New York. Vicky Chan informs, “With over 20 years of experience in architecture and urban planning, our team delivers award-winning buildings and cities. Design is a collaborative process to discover the better ways to live, work and play. As our name Avoid Obvious Architects suggests, we find unique solutions for every project we do. AOA’s passion and design philosophy is not only spreading within the professional world, we are also volunteering to teach local children. In 15 years, Architecture for Children has taught over 5,000 students about collaborative and sustainable designs. In 2016, I gave lecture in front of 500 global mayors in New Cities Summit in Seoul. Our team cares about people, history and the environment.”
Hydroponics Farm Lab
Avoid Obvious Architects has won 60 design awards and has been pushing sustainable buildings and cities. Vicky Chan’s projects often include farming, net-zero design and circular economy as the overall strategies. Vicky Chan reveals, “Avoid Obvious Architects is dedicated to crafting spaces that impact the lives of 500,000 individuals annually. Embracing sustainability and community, our international team, rich in passion and diversity, spearheads designs that epitomize these values. Central to our ethos is a commitment to environmentally conscious and uplifting design. We actively engage with NGOs and governmental bodies, offering sustainable designs pro bono, underscoring our dedication to societal well-being. At AOA, we envision a future where design transcends the ordinary, empowering all to experience and benefit from thoughtful, accessible architectural solutions.”
Ecology at K Farm
‘zerobeyond – the new frontier!’ has been always strived to search for such creative talents across the world since our inception, who are going beyond to create new frontiers to benefit the world at large with their design creations. Vicky Chan is not only a talented individual, but also his humane traits exemplify his solid upbringing as a humble man. Johnny D interacts with Vicky Chan about his marvelous design creation, the ‘K Farm’.
What was your childhood ambition? Did you always wanted to be an architect?
I was good at Arts and Maths. Architecture is a good combination of the two subjects that I like. My pursuit in architecture as a career changes over time. In High School, I learned to create mural for public spaces. That process allowed me to understand the satisfaction to work on public spaces (smiles).
Centre for Learning
What made you to name your firm as ‘Avoid Obvious Architects’? Please elucidate.
Our process is to give the public the power to design. We are the architects of the process and less of the results. We want to avoid the designer driven design.
What are the projects ‘Avoid Obvious Architects’ is currently working on in various cities / countries?
Before the Covid pandemic, we were everywhere in the world working on projects and competition. After the pandemic, we focused a lot in Asia and the communities that are close to my home in Hong Kong, although, we lost many global connections over the isolation. We are building our closer allies in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
Research Lab
What really goes in your mind, when the client states the first brief?
Listen and learn. Our clients are usually non-profit organizations with missions. Learning how they serve the public, so that I can build a project that serves that mission is ultimately important.
What was the brief of the ‘K-Farm’ project?
The brief was to design a farm that serves the public with technology, science and sustainability.
Master Plan
Interesting to see ‘K-Farm Project’ as an experiment will be leading and meeting urban farming challenges to safeguard future to become a template for Hong Kong and Asian nations. How was the K-Farm idea germinated?
With the NGOs and farmers, they knew the pain point in farming and wanted to become the leading project for changes. I also went to the community to ask them about the needs in making a farm at those specific locations.
Aerial View of K Farm
‘K-Farm Project’ will also be an education destination for the younger generation and research centre for experts in the field. What went through your mind to layout such a well-thought design plan?
We responded to the community who gave us the design guidelines, when we interviewed them. We designed open space that allows integration to the Arboriform. We made farming possible with a design that can resist wind and work in extreme weather. There are nine principles and some of them worked out for us and some of them we had to abandon, because it was too difficult.
Scenic Location
What were the major challenges to execute the project on the real grounds? How did your team overcome them creatively?
Running a farm is not going to make a lot of money and it is not even close to the break even. We must make the space very flexible to allow education and events to make income for the NGOs to run their operations.
Design Concept
What were the sustainable features that have been incorporated in ‘K-Farm Project’?
The farm is designed to be inclusive without barrier. The vertical green wall, vertical farming racks, farming tables and hydroponics allow people with special needs to access farming without bending down.
Rainwater collection with water tanks are designed for all three shelters.
Solar panels are installed on the roof of the office to cover the office’s electrical consumption.
Beauty when illuminated
Smart sensor is used to provide water and light control.
Various shading, UV and modular system is used at the greenhouse to reduce solar heat gain.
The use of organic farm also helps the ecosystem of the whole area. All the adjacent parks use pesticide for their plants. Our farm has suddenly become an attraction of birds and inserts. K-farm is increasing the biodiversity along the waterfront.
Evening View of K Farm
An industrial site with 0% greenery was reclaimed into a park.
Materials used for this project is all made within 800 km of Hong Kong.
To allow the buildings to be relocated, we used ‘Modular’ assembly.
The use of lighting allows us to eliminate physical barrier, while giving people a safety signal along the edges at night.
Thoughtful Design for everyone
How would you describe the ‘Significance and Elegance’ of ‘K-Farm Project’?
It is very community-driven and educationally interesting. The farm is small, but becomes the buffet for insects of the local area. The idea is that we only need an organic farm like this in all our neighborhood. With the right species, we can sustain an ecosystem within an urban environment.
Ambiance Par Excellence
What is the total area of the project, estimated cost and design-to-finish time period of the project?
The total area is 2000m2. The cost of the project is about US $ 7 million. It took us two years to design and the construction commenced from 2019 and we opened in 2021.
How many varieties of crops and vegetables are grown in the K-Farm?
We tested multiple species and try to keep things fun and valuable. Salad green has financial return for our effort and energy. Rice, strawberries, watermelon, herbs are fun, cultural and educational. They take a much longer time to grow. We are trying to have species rotate for culture, culinary and an overall ecosystem.
A Farmer in action
What is the volume of yields per month / year that is produced in K-Farm?
It is not that high. We balance between education and production. The production generate about 1 ton of veggies per month.
Human Greed Crisis / Climatic Destruction have exposed the major “Urban Planning Flaw” as cities after cities are going under water with just few inches of rain. Please elucidate this “Global Urban Planning Flaw” as to how it can be effectively rectified to safeguard our cities from being flooded.
As we face extreme climate, we need more methods to work with water. Our greenhouse is a statement to see how farming can work with less land and in extreme weather. In a simplified version, it is also how people will live on Mars in a greenhouse
Teaching them Young
Which significant aspects of the global platform ‘zerobeyond – the new frontier!’ did you liked the most, and why?
‘zerobeyond – the new frontier!’ covers the unusual voices of people from different backgrounds, which is what I like the most.
How would you describe Vicky Chan as a leader and a person?
I am humble and always want to stay a student of global culture. There is too much to learn and I want people to show me the ways. I believe I slowly become a leader or expert without calling myself a leader and expert. I lead by doing and learning new things every day.
Safeguarding Future
Please state five recent awards’ win by Avoid Obvious Architects with respective project’s name and year.
2024: Young Architects Award by AIA
2024: Silver Award in A’ Design Award Landscape Category for ‘Yuanye Spring – a smart farm’.
2022: 2nd Place of Skyrise Design Competition for ‘Skyrigs to revitalize abandoned oil rig as mixed-use buildings’.
Visitors capturing breathtaking Landscape
2021: Merit Award in HKGBC Advancing Net Zero Design Competition for ‘Next Tower’.
2021: AIA Hong Kong Award in Sustainability for ‘K-Farm’.
Image Courtesy: Avoid Obvious Architects