Sponsors

Aedas employs 2,500 highly qualified architectural staff in 40 offices located around the world, including London, Hong Kong and New York. We also have teams in the rapidly growing economies of China, Singapore, India, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Poland and Brazil. Our global network provides clients with a unique wealth of experience and expertise in architecture, interior design, masterplanning, landscape and urban design, building consultancy, research and development and imaging. We have an established reputation for cutting-edge designs in various market sectors including Transport, Civic & Culture, Education, Healthcare, Hotel & Resort, Mixed-use, Office, Residential, Retail, Sports, Technology, and Labs.

Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) is a multi-disciplinary architecture and interior design firm, dedicated to the delivery of world-class projects across the globe. Our ethos is focused on providing the best responses to building design and urban design challenges from feasibility to delivery. We provide clients, users, local authorities and communities with better environments that create greater economic and social value. Founded in Hong Kong in 1976, our award-winning firm has become a specialist in delivering design-led, super-high density mixed-use developments in response to Asia's fast-growing economies. RLP has grown to 350 staff, with offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing and Guangzhou, and now services a global client base in the public, commercial and institutional sectors. Our approach to architecture maintains the highest commitment to responsible and sustainable design. RLP is ISO:14001 certified and is a corporate member of both the BEAM Society and US Green Building Council, with over one-third of professional staff obtaining LEED AP qualification.

The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) was established by the HKSAR Government in 2001 to tackle the problem of urban decay in Hong Kong. As the successor to the Land Development Corporation, the URA is a mission-driven public organisation. It aims to improve quality of life and contribute to urban sustainability through helping people, often the poor and elderly, who live in substandard conditions, while at the same time enhancing the built environment. The URA's strategy centres on four elements: the redevelopment of badly decayed buildings, the rehabilitation of buildings, the preservation of buildings of historical significance and the revitalisation of districts through developing the core themes arising from their historic roots. Over the decades since its establishment, the URA has carried out near to 50 redevelopment projects, helping to re-house more than 30,000 people and revitalising many run-down districts. The Authoritys rehabilitation programme so far has benefited some 40,000 owners of apartments in over 500 buildings. The URA's Board of Directors is appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR Government, and the Authority works in close cooperation with the Development Bureau, which is responsible for the Government's overall Urban Renewal Strategy. The URA is a self-financing body, and its redevelopment projects provide funding for its various activities. A highly transparent and accountable body, the URA engages in extensive public consultation in relation to its proposed projects and ensures owners are adequately compensated. Increasingly, the Authority is adopting a district-based approach to urban renewal, working with local organisations to achieve the best overall result, incorporating environmental, cultural and heritage factors.