Living Construction_Context. Schema_Hong Kong Urban Space Lexicon New Edition_Hong Kong & Macau Limited

Author: Living Construction Publisher: Bright Light Culture Book Size: 148mm x 210mm Pages: 264 ISBN: 978-988-8820-92-4 Publication Date: April 2025 【Content Introduction】 This is a new edition of "Context. Schema," featuring three new preface contributions, along with partial revisions and added content. The author notes: "In the years since the publication of 'Context. Schema,' I began to engage with the profound field of architectural education. The necessity of constantly discussing design with others led me to repeatedly ponder a question: How do people begin to design? And what is the meaning or relationship of context for different individuals? If asked to describe their room or home, children would readily detail everything within: from toy boxes, origami lamps, and corners filled with figurines, to the sofa backrest used to stand and watch TV, the character stickers on their wardrobe door, or the helium balloon from New Year's Eve that was playfully snatched away. Their favorite part might be the window by the bedside, a medium for whispering to the stars each night before sleep. The rooftop of the neighborhood snack stall could be a secret base for chats with friends. The small bookshelf by the bed... Whether it's the details, the depth, the relationship between people and space, or even the layers and order of spaces, each of these places, each item imbued with special meaning, makes this place called 'home' so vivid and full of life's warmth... Yet, these thoughts, these spatial details, are often the very beginning of architecture. In this book, those places and meaningfully imbued items are referred to as 'Context' and 'Schema.' Recently rereading 'Context. Schema,' I discovered another potentially viable path. We continue to believe in the significance of 'Context. Schema' as a tool within the contemporary city. Schema, the memory of the city, its lifestyle and culture; by understanding it, perhaps you too can become an architect with depth and heartfelt insight, just like a child." A study of collective spatial memory in urban studies, architecture, and people's science. An analysis of the "mustard seed garden" painting album for modern cities. Gordon Mathews (Professor, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong): "I had always believed that architects were only interested in the buildings themselves—the stone, wood, steel, and concrete—rather than the living beings. However, the brief content of this book changed my perspective." Peter Ferretto (Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong): "The 'spontaneous contexts' in the book aim to highlight these often-overlooked urban spaces, awakening architects to the everyday life, social interactions, and cultural settings they might not frequently consider." Yiu Kai-leung (Author of "How Cities Culture," "The Road to Cultural Cities"): "I read it with great joy because this dictionary logically presents experiences we take for granted, filled with memories, yet difficult to articulate. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the spatial culture of our daily lives contains a set of logic, a language. And if we master this language, we can understand what constitutes Hong Kong's uniqueness and use this language to create new spatial cultures." Wong Chi-hang (Author of "Hong Kong Walking Studies"): "It is bold to assert that among all publications concerning Hong Kong's urban spaces in the past decade, 'Context. Schema' is the most inspiring and my most admired work. It is a book that everyone who cares about Hong Kong should read. I firmly believe that anyone who has read this book will agree that it is an essential read for understanding Hong Kong going forward." Archile Male (Author of "The Un-Aesthetics of Urban Architecture"): "What will Hong Kong become in the future? This is a question everyone concerned about our city asks themselves. The re-publication of 'Context. Schema' at this moment may offer us starting points for answers: we can understand space with a more open perspective, treat design with a more inclusive attitude, and explore the future in more diverse ways." Yang Jun (Visiting Associate Professor, School of Architecture Art, China Academy of Art) Special Recommendation: "Compared to photographs and architectural blueprints, the illustrations in this book are closer to our understanding of real memories—loose and with subtle differences. While the contexts of personal memories vary, their general outlines are sufficient to evoke a sense of the context." 【Author Introduction】 Living Construction Life shapes cities, and cities shape life. Our team aims to explore the reality of cities from everyday life and their direct impact on people's emotions, cognition, and behavior. Through this, we reflect on the collective memory of cities, local living culture, and architectural design. In doing so, we attempt to provide a discussion for urban theory that moves away from history and pure emotion, offering academic standards and theoretical foundations. We also hope to inspire people's understanding of their local cities.