The KPF President and Principal joined three other industry leaders in a wide-ranging interview for the design publication, discussing architecture’s role in climate resilience, cultural stewardship, and the future of the workplace.
Jamie spoke to Perspective alongside Dr. Christine Bruckner of M Moser Associates, Prof. Anderson Lee of Index Architecture, and Dr. Lin Hao of The Oval Partnership and INTEGER. All AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards honorees, together they addressed a series of pressing topics in the architectural profession, from the reliance on green building ratings to the challenges of designing for intergenerational communities.
“Our work in climate resilient architecture ranges from rescuing flooded buildings to forward looking situations,” stated Jamie, describing KPF’s work to protect critical infrastructure and foster community resilience at the NYCHA Red Hook Houses. He noted KPF’s design of the HKUST (GZ) campus as an example of sustainable architecture that responds to the trajectory of climate change and its projected impact on the school’s unique site and program.
The conversation also explored techniques for adaptive reuse and the evolution of office design. “The key to the future is to work sensitively and extend the fabric of the past… where we marry the appreciation of historically unique workmanship with more contemporary materials and uses,” Jamie explained, citing KPF’s large-scale revitalization projects in London and Shanghai. On workplace transformation, he observed that “to keep our minds agile and to make a place where we choose to spend long hours even when we have the option to work from home, the workplace has to offer more.” Projects such as the Qianhai Kerry Centre in Shenzhen and the mixed-use overhaul of 8 Canada Square, the former HSBC headquarters, in London illustrate KPF’s approach to this issue.
