CTBUH 2023 Asia Conference Summary
Hong Kong, 14-15 November | Shenzhen, 16-17 November
The first annual CTBUH 2023 Asia Conference, “The Future of High-Density Cities in Asia: Regenerative, Intelligent, and Human-Centric,” occurred in Hong Kong on 14-15 November and in Shenzhen on 16-17 November. Proving to be a great success, this conference offered remarkable venues, speakers, and off-sites in each city, bridged together with a similar programmatic theme. They offered a dynamic platform for visionaries, architects, and industry leaders of the region, who are shaping the future of high-density cities. With the first few decades of this century marked by explosive urban growth throughout Asia, punctuated by seemingly innumerable new spires and skylines, cities now contemplate a future in which growth is not the sole objective; rather, regeneration of the built environment and humanized high density are the goals.
With an attendance of 260 delegates in Hong Kong and 200 in Shenzhen, representing 70+ companies and backed by 23 sponsors, the presentations and panel discussions sparked the forward thinking needed for the future development of density in Asia. Attendees networked with fellow change-makers, forging new partnerships, and strengthening existing bonds and shared knowledge in this distinctive event.
We’d especially like to recognize the CTBUH Asia Steering Committee and the many sponsors listed below who made this such a successful event:
Diamond
Parkland Group
Sun Hung Kai Properties
Platinum
COFCO Qianhai Innovation Center
Gensler
Goettsch Partners
KONE
New World Development
NorthGlass
Otis
RFR Asia Limited
Gold
CityGroup (CTG) Design
Carrier
Shenzhen Fangda Building Technology Group Co, Ltd.
Hitachi Elevator (China) Co Limited
Hongkong Land
Pelli Clarke & Partners
Schindler
TKE Elevator GmbH
Urban Collection Design
Urban Plot
Table Exhibitor Sponsors
AET Flexible Space
Inhabit
Jardine Engineering Corporation
Hong Kong
Tuesday, 14 November
Core Conference Presentations
CTBUH Chairman Shonn Mills welcomed attendees in Hong Kong to the start of the CTBUH 2023 Asia Conference
The event kicked off with a morning coffee for early networking, setting the stage for a day filled with connections, insight, and thought-provoking discussions. Held at the Hong Kong International Commerce Centre, the core conference for Hong Kong took place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel’s ballroom within the 118-floor building. The opening address began with introductions by distinguished speakers CTBUH Honk Kong Steering Committe Vice Chair, Anthony Cheung, CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Uña, CTBUH Asia Regional Director Peng Du, and CTBUH Chairman Shonn Mills.
CTBUH Asia Regional Director Peng Du shared updates about the Asia regional chapters.
The day unfolded with four engaging sessions:
Presenters in the first session sat down at the end to do a Q&A. (L to R) Session Chair Raymond Wong, Mun Summ Wong, Lewis Lam, Cary Lau, and Peter Gross
In the first session, “Regenerative Future Cities,” esteemed practitioners of Cary Lau, Global Design Principal, Aedas; Lewis Lam, Deputy General Manager, Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited; Mun Summ Wong, Founding Director, WOHA Architects; and Peter Gross, Managing Principal, KPF shared their perspectives for sustainable growth, weaving a narrative of repurposed structures and purposeful infrastructure development.
Next, the imperative of environmental harmony was addressed in the second session, “Low Carbon Cities.” With session Chair Albany Tam, Director of Smart Solutions & Tech, JEC, speakers Bryant Lu, Vice Chairman, Ronald Lu & Partners; Satoshi Ohashi, Director, Zaha Hadid Architects; Steve Trstenjak, Design Director, Gensler; and Wilfred Au, Executive Director, Urban Renewal Authority, presented to attendees on the adoption of intuitive architecture and high-tech systems—tools to minimize our cities' carbon footprint and adapt to an ever-changing world.
In session three, Joseph Cheng (at podium) and Christopher Slater gave a presentation on 11 Skies, the off-site tour that attendees could later attend.
After a break for lunch, the afternoon continued with third session, “Intelligent Cities,” that focused on the profound transformation in the vision of "smart" urbanism. With Session Chair Florance Chan, presenters Christopher Slater, Associate, Lead8; Joseph Cheng, Project Director, New World Development Company; Aaron Mazeika, Structural Engineering Principal, SOM; Dan Cheong, Partner, Buro Ole Scheeren; and Zafer Kabadayi, Group New Installation Sales Director, Schindler, looked more closely at this paradigm shift, placing human-centricity at the core. The presentations focused on enhancing the quality of life, work efficiency, and environmental sustainability—a harmonious blend of progress and humanity.
The last session of the day, “Human-centric Cities” capitalized on the earlier discussions to hone in and discuss the pivot towards spaces that prioritize the human experience in bustling Asian urbanisms. Leaders in architecture, interior design, and environmental conditioning, including Session Chair Hugh Brennand, Deputy CEO, Inhabit; Colin Ward, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners; Hai Lin, Associate Director, Arup; Stephan Rewolle, Partner, gmp · Architekten von Gerkan; and Winnie Kwan, Partner, LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, shared insights into constructing spaces that prioritize well-being and more thoughtful consideration of the buildings and places we see and touch every day.
Vincent Tse thanked the Hong Kong Chapter Committee Members for their role in supporting a successful conference.
The Hong Kong core conference concluded with a thought-provoking closing address with speakers Ling Jia, General Manager, Shenzhen Parkland Group Co.,Ltd; Sam Lai, General Manager, Sun Hung Kai Properties; and CTBUH Asia Regional Chair Vincent Tse invited attendees to reflect on the ideas and perspectives shared by industry leaders and visionaries and thanked those who participated.
Hong Kong
Tuesday, 14 November
Networking Reception
Immediately following the core program, attendees went upstairs to the 49th floor of the International Commerce Centre for drinks and canapes while taking in the sweeping views, kindly hosted by Sun Hung Kai Properties and sponserd by TKE Elevator GmbH.
You can find more images from Tuesday, 14 November here.
Hong Kong
Wednesday, 15 November
Off-site Tour
Attendees had the opportunity to tour 11 SKIES, a game-changing, world-class, mixed-use destination within SKYCITY, encompassing the concept of an Airport City. Kindly sponsored by New World Development, the New Sky City and Shopping Development at the New Hong Kong International Airport has been meticulously designed as Hong Kong’s largest hub for Retail, Dining and Entertainment (RDE), whilst seamlessly integrating workspace for Greater Bay Area (GBA) enterprises. With direct footbridge connections to Airport Terminal 2, Asia World Expo, and an integrated transport terminal, 11 SKIES merges innovative design with a comprehensive program to elevate the tourism, business, retail, and entertainment experience.
Leaders Meeting
Following the Hong Kong off-site morning program, a Regional Leaders Meeting was held, kindly sponsered by Hongkong Land. This meeting was primarily a forum of discussion about the identity of CTBUH Asia and its future initiatives. Other topics of discussion included future conference host cities, topics for future meetings, chapter interaction, and regional publications and outputs.
Shenzhen
Thursday, 16 November
Core Conference Presentations and Panel Discussions
Zhouwen Chen gave opening remarks for the Shenzhen portion of the CTBUH 2023 Asia Conference in the One Shenzhen Bay venue.
Hosted within One Shenzhen Bay, the conference in Shenzhen commenced with opening introductions by CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Uña, CTBUH Asia Regional Director Peng Du, CTBUH Chairman Shonn Mills, Junjie Zhang, Chief Architect, East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), CTBUH Asia Regional Chair Vincent Tse, and Zhouwen Chen, Executive Director and Vice President, Shenzhen Parkland Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. The day then continued with the start of the core conference sessions.
CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Uña shared insights on trends in the region.
In the first session, "Regenerative Future Cities," luminaries such as Jim Tian, Operating Director, Otis; Florence Chan, Director, KPF; and Mun Summ Wong, Founding Director, WOHA Architects navigated in their presentations the crucial theme of urban rejuvenation. The focus was on repurposing the existing urban fabric and implementing purposeful infrastructure to sustainably propel Asia’s great cities into the future.
The second session, "Low Carbon Future City," featured presenters Henry Jiang, Senior Vice President, KONE; Satoshi Ohashi, Director, Zaha Hadid Architects; and Joerg Lonkwitz, Senior Designer, Gensler, who addressed the imperative of constructing cities with the lowest possible carbon footprint.
Panelists in Session 3 discuss the goal of achieving zero-carbon high density developments. (L to R) Chunchao Li, Jianping Gu, Alan Lau, Xiangming Huang, Junjie Zhang, and Jex Ng
A highlight of the day was the panel discussion in Session 3, "Towards the Zero-Carbon High Density City," where experts Alan Lau, Managing Director, WSP; Chunchao Li, Marketing Director, Tianjin North Glass Industrial Technical Co., Ltd.; Jianping Gu, Chief Engineer, Shanghai Industrial Investment CO., LTD; Junjie Zhang, Chief Architect, East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI); Jex Ng, Managing Director, JLL; and Xiangming Huang, Chief Architect, Shanghai TIANHUA Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd. grappled with the challenge of achieving zero-carbon high density. This engaging dialogue unveiled new solutions and varied perspectives in addressing this goal.
After lunch the momentum continued in Session 4, “Human-Centric Future City.” Featuring esteemed speakers Chunlin He, Director, Pelli Clarke & Partner; Jessica Zhao, CML Applied Product Marketing & Communications, North Asia, Carrier Air Conditioner Refrigeration Sales (Shanghai) Co., Ltd; and Lijie Xie, Design Director of the High-Rise Building Design Research Center, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design. the speakers presented on the narrative of Asia's rapid construction over recent decades, and the path forward in emphasizing a more thoughtful consideration of structure and space.
Next, in Session 5, "Intelligent Future City," speakers Goto Takayuki, Deputy General Manager, Sales Division, Hitachi Elevator (China) co., Ltd; Hai Wang, Director, Key Project Dept., Sales Division, Hitachi Elevator (China) Co., Ltd| ; John Li, Partner, President, Chief Designer, UrbanPlot; and Peng Hong, Vice President, CCD, explored the paradigm shift from top-down, system-centric approaches to an intelligent future city firmly centered around the citizen to enhance both quality of life and work efficiency.
Concluding the conference was a lively panel discussion on human-centric intelligent cities. (L to R) Chunchao Li, Chenjie Wu, Ye Sheng, Jian Zhao, Jim Tian, and Samuel Gong
Concluding the day was a panel discussion on "Towards Human-centric Intelligent Cities," where thought leaders Chunchao Li, Marketing Director, Tianjin North Glass Industrial Technical Co., Ltd; Chenjie Wu, Design Director, Partner, RFR Asia Limited; Ye Sheng, Principal, Goettsch Partners; Jian Zhao, Co-Chief Designer, CityGroup Design Collective CO., LTD; Jim Tian, Operating Director, Otis; and Samuel Gong, Controls Marketing Director, Carrier, pondered and discussed the evolution of the Greater Bay Area. Amid major infrastructure projects and reforms, the panelists engaged in how this transition can be smooth and equitable for the 71 million inhabitants, offering a compelling vision of the Greater Bay Area in 2035.
Speakers and leaders from the conference after the day's discussions.
The conference ended with attendees ruminating on the future of Asian urbanism, and the shared knowledge from the day’s presentations and discussions illuminating the path toward more sustainable, intelligent, and human-centric cities.
You can find more images from Thursday, 16 November here.
Shenzhen
Friday, 17 November
Off-site Tour and Presentations
A program with speakers and a tour afterwards of the COFCO Qianhai Asia Pacific Headquarters Complex were given to those who attended. Located in the Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone, these towers have topped out their construction and showcase a merging of design, technology, and sustainability, reflecting COFCO's commitment to excellence for the future of commercial developments. The high-end workspace provides sophisticated tenants with the value of flexible, tall, and column-free tenant space. The top headquarter office has a large internal atrium, which enhances worker productivity and communication between floors and also creates a dynamic and interactive “Sky Village.” Kindly hosted by COFCO Qianhai Innovation Center and sponsored by Goettsch Partners and RFR Asia Limited.
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