29/01/2026
Field Trip to Mai Po Nature Reserve
The “Inhabited Window” Architectural Design Graduation Project studio, led by lecturer Kentaro Nagano and comprising eleven Year 2 students, began their design journey with an immersive three‑day, two‑night field trip to Mai Po Nature Reserve, the primary site of investigation. The studio challenges the conventional “bird hide” as a closed, concealed box and instead reimagines architecture as an interface where the human body meets the wetland directly. In collaboration with the WWF Hong Kong Jockey Club Smart Wetland Management Project, students grounded their design process in real, physical conditions by conducting site measurements, documenting floor heights, openings, vegetation levels, and sightlines while exploring how postures such as crouching, leaning, and lying shape the act of observing nature. Through a series of workshops, representatives from WWFHK had generously shared their knowledge on wildlife ecology, conservation practices, wetland management, and the planning context of the future North Metropolis. From early‑morning birding to observing birdwatcher behaviour, the experience deeply rooted their architectural thinking in the sensory, ecological, and operational realities of Mai Po’s living landscape.
