Bryan Bvyn Wong
SMArchS Urbanism
Bryan currently pursues a Master of Science in Architecture Studies and Urbanism, his design focuses into hauntology, identity and development between landscapes, architecture and multilateralism.
In his bachelor degree at The University of Hong Kong with first class honors and dean's honors, his undergraduate thesis "Development detours: Landscape Genealogy Framework for Post-Pandemic Ecotourism in Northern Laos" has been published in the Landscape Architecture Frontier Journal, with other works published in architectural journals such as KooZ/Arch, and Landscape Architecture Org. He has previously launched collective Z5SSP, which film and narrate Hong Kong subculture through multimedia works; and co-founded Dissident Studio, which practices modernology by observing street anomalies. The Studio has recently participated in the 2021 and 2022 DeTour Design Festival and are top 6 of the Climate Action Scheme organised by Hong Kong SDG Hub.
Projects
Blank Walls: The Battle for Voids during the proposal of 78 Chicago
In architectural practices, imagination often holds stronger power than reality. We see thousands of renders, proposals, speculations— that gives communities and cities hopes and dreams of new development, better life, with a promising future. Like air, although invisible, it holds the ability to alternate one’s life without doing anything. Blank Walls is thus a reaction to this imagination of the “78”, by proposing another project at the opposite of the river, in an attempt to alternate the surrounding communities’ future by battling between the two promises of “air”.
In collaboration with Namhi Kwun (SMArchS Urbanism MCP '25)
In collaboration with Namhi Kwun (SMArchS Urbanism MCP '25)
Arterial blood flow, at 0.2 m/s, travels only one tenth of natural gases, at 20 m/s. But this gas flow eventually stops...
The city of Urengoy, the country’s largest onshore field at an annual production of 250 billion cubic meter of natural gas, is fueled by the energy generated money. Under the socialist teleological planning, living and working zoning of Urengoy urbanism is heavily structured around a limiting modes of living by circulating daily practices bounded from working fields and living cells. This atlas parallels two forms of liquids——natural gas liquids and human blood fluids, questioning the power and responsibilities of these apparatuses. Is the gas shaping the human body or is the human body shaped by the gas?
The city of Urengoy, the country’s largest onshore field at an annual production of 250 billion cubic meter of natural gas, is fueled by the energy generated money. Under the socialist teleological planning, living and working zoning of Urengoy urbanism is heavily structured around a limiting modes of living by circulating daily practices bounded from working fields and living cells. This atlas parallels two forms of liquids——natural gas liquids and human blood fluids, questioning the power and responsibilities of these apparatuses. Is the gas shaping the human body or is the human body shaped by the gas?
At around 3.4 million metric tons atop with some 130 thousands outputted last year, Southern Congo accounts over 70% of the world’s cobalt export. Two dominant forms of mining—artisanal, referring to the informal and small-scale independents that extracts earth concentrated in Kolwezi; and the mechanical, recently dominated by Chinese investors in infrastructural provision for large-scale industrial mining of cobalt. Cobalt have enabled a network of violence and urbanism in relation to a value chain that is haunted over the entire copper belt.
There is no struggle when there isn't a presence of power.
As we reinforce “power as (em)power”, influential political and private projects’ will be viewed as remnants and extracted into sets of replicas. Such processes reiterate the significance of the works into a new form of social incubators, essentially reversing the closed structure to open up. The tensile strengthening of identity is thus not formed by the structure itself, but the networks that were governed by the spaces, as organizations, elections, community gathering and celebration events happen across multiple scales.
As we reinforce “power as (em)power”, influential political and private projects’ will be viewed as remnants and extracted into sets of replicas. Such processes reiterate the significance of the works into a new form of social incubators, essentially reversing the closed structure to open up. The tensile strengthening of identity is thus not formed by the structure itself, but the networks that were governed by the spaces, as organizations, elections, community gathering and celebration events happen across multiple scales.
Bryan Bvyn WONG. Development Detours: Landscape Genealogy Framework for Post-Pandemic Ecotourism in Northern Laos. Landsc. Archit. Front., 2022, 10(2): 90‒99 https://doi.org/10.15302/J-LAF-1-050045
After two years of sporadic lockdowns, northern Laos has fully reopened to travelers. However, communities have shown indifference to ecotourism recovery that provides ecological services; prioritized alternatives such as rubber concession are diminishing indigenous sociocultural values and turning ancestral soils into exploitative grounds in exchange for economic returns. Disappearance of historical traces may ultimately homogenize communities’ indigenous sociocultural significance. In light of such fragility, Development Detours offers an adaptive framework of landscape genealogies by using two tailored formulas externally and internally. The proposal constructs resilience by detouring development progression, interconnecting nodes of chronicle as a rework of presence. Two villages along the Nam Tha River, namely Sin Oudom and Khon Kham, were selected for their ongoing frictions. While formula one emphasizes „differences” between livelihoods by reconnecting nonlinear spatio-temporality into discursive viewpoints, formula two delineates „collectiveness” by acknowledging myths, traditions, and legacies of practices as a celebration of identities. By utilizing account as a forward-minded approach, history is adapted to the present.
After two years of sporadic lockdowns, northern Laos has fully reopened to travelers. However, communities have shown indifference to ecotourism recovery that provides ecological services; prioritized alternatives such as rubber concession are diminishing indigenous sociocultural values and turning ancestral soils into exploitative grounds in exchange for economic returns. Disappearance of historical traces may ultimately homogenize communities’ indigenous sociocultural significance. In light of such fragility, Development Detours offers an adaptive framework of landscape genealogies by using two tailored formulas externally and internally. The proposal constructs resilience by detouring development progression, interconnecting nodes of chronicle as a rework of presence. Two villages along the Nam Tha River, namely Sin Oudom and Khon Kham, were selected for their ongoing frictions. While formula one emphasizes „differences” between livelihoods by reconnecting nonlinear spatio-temporality into discursive viewpoints, formula two delineates „collectiveness” by acknowledging myths, traditions, and legacies of practices as a celebration of identities. By utilizing account as a forward-minded approach, history is adapted to the present.
A Node Miles-High delves into the commodification of air in Chicago, tracing its transformation into a valuable capital resource. The exploration of the city's history reveals five significant tipping points that have reshaped the concept of capitalizing on air. These include the utilization of smoking devices, the implementation of innovative cooling systems for meat-packaging trading, the development of fireproof and air removal materials, the acquisition of air rights for the renowned Prudential Tower, and the ambitious 78 project.
The research challenges conventional notions, highlighting that the most coveted air in the city is not confined to well-ventilated interiors or lofty skyscrapers, but rather lies within the vast potential of large vacant lots. Over the years, these lots have attracted developers due to their symbolic representation of endless possibilities and dreams.
In collaboration with Namhi Kwun (SMArchS Urbanism MCP '25) Brenda Hernandez (MArch '25)
The research challenges conventional notions, highlighting that the most coveted air in the city is not confined to well-ventilated interiors or lofty skyscrapers, but rather lies within the vast potential of large vacant lots. Over the years, these lots have attracted developers due to their symbolic representation of endless possibilities and dreams.
In collaboration with Namhi Kwun (SMArchS Urbanism MCP '25) Brenda Hernandez (MArch '25)
