Discover Hong Kong’s hidden Brutalist heritage with Bob Pang , concrete structures that shaped community and identity from the 1950s - 1980s

“I never expected Hong Kong’s architecture to be so fascinating and meaningful, especially beyond the conventional narratives of capitalism,” says Bob Pang, a Hong Kong architect who founded the Brutalism Hong Kong Research Group in 2021.

Over the past five years, the team of 20 researchers has uncovered and documented more than 40 examples of Brutalist architecture across the city, including both surviving and demolished buildings. Beyond the neon signs and glass towers lies a ‘concrete soul’ that tells a different story of Hong Kong. His talk invites you to look beyond the skyline and discover how these raw, monolithic structures became a silent framework for community and identity, revealing a surprisingly human side of the city’s urban history from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Bob Pang is a registered architect in Hong Kong and a member of the Docomomo Hong Kong Chapter. He has lived in London, Vienna and Shanghai. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as a project architect at the studio of Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Since 2015, he has actively promoted local architectural culture and currently writes as a columnist for City Magazine. Most recently, Bob contributed to Brutalist Asia, published by Blue Crow Media, the first major survey of Brutalist architecture across the Asian continent, spanning 28 countries.

About his books for reference:

https://twelve-books.com/collections/bob-pang

About the research for reference:

https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/hong-kong-brutalism-architectural-map

https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/lifestyle/art-plus-design/ode-to-concrete-author-bob-pang-on-uncovering-the-history-of-brutalism-in-hong-kong/

Recently his latest book was featured on Dezeen:

https://www.dezeen.com/2026/10/03/brutalist-asia-book-roundup/

Description supplied by the event organiser.