November 8, 2018
On the occasion of the centennial of Rudolph’s birth, the Center for Architecture exhibits original drawings, sketches, and renderings of the architect’s Hong Kong projects.
New York, NY, November 13, 2018 – The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation and the Center for Architecture are pleased to present Paul Rudolph: The Hong Kong Journey, an exhibition of previously unseen drawings, sketches and renderings highlighting a fascinating chapter in the architect’s career. Curated by Nora Leung, a Hong Kong-based architect who worked with Rudolph, the exhibition focuses on three projects in Hong Kong.
Beginning in 1980 and spanning the remainder of his career, Rudolph’s works in Asia were some of his most conclusive statements on architecture and urbanism, built at a scale no longer afforded to him in the United States. The Bond Centre (now known as the Lippo Centre), the unbuilt Harbor Road Tower, and the three residences on Plantation Road, Rudolph’s last project, reflect considerations unique to the topography, scale, density, and climate of Hong Kong. These characteristics complimented Rudolph’s penchant for complex sections and intersecting volumes, which he used extensively in the Lippo Centre. Three decades since the building’s completion, Rudolph’s multi-tiered, inter-modal approach to circulation has only continued to expand throughout Hong Kong.
“As many as four times a year over the course of twelve years, from 1984 to 1996, Rudolph flew into Hong Kong’s old Kai Tak airport, marveling each time at the dramatic experience of flying amidst rugged mountains and dense skyscrapers,” said Leung. “His urbanistic approach to design, which was sensitive to local cultures and considerate of human tradition and history, are strong architectural tenets that respect the diversity of humanity. Paul Rudolph’s architecture continues to live and breathe in the urban fabric of the city.”
Paul Rudolph: The Hong Kong Journey will present Rudolph’ drawings, from schematic design perspectives to advanced planning drawings and intricate sketches of construction details, bearing witness to the extent to which the famed architect reconciled idiosyncratic and individual experience within the grand scale of a commercial office block. The exhibition will also include Rudolph’s typewritten notes from a 1974 lecture Space, which serve as a design manifesto through which to analyze the exhibited works.
“The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation is proud to present an exhibition celebrating Paul Rudolph’s impactful work in Hong Kong, drawn from the archive of Nora Leung, which has never been publicly viewed,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation. “At a time when heroic Modernism (and Rudolph’s oeuvre) is being reexamined and valued afresh, these original, personal sketches and documents offer a rare, intimate view into the architect’s design process.”
RELATED PROGRAMMING
Members of the press are invited related programming.
Opening
Thursday, November 29, 6 – 8 pm
Paul Rudolph: A Way of Working
Friday, December 14, 6 – 8 pm
With Roberto de Alba, Author, Paul Rudolph: The Late Work; Nora Leung, Curator, Paul Rudolph: The Hong Kong Journey
Paul Rudolph: Influences and Opportunities
Wednesday, December 19, 6 – 8 pm
This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About Nora Leung
Nora Leung, BA(AS), B.Arch., HKIA, is an architect living and working in Hong Kong. After graduating from The University of Hong Kong, she acquired first-hand experience working with Paul Rudolph on The Bond Centre, from the design’s conception through its construction process. In 1990, she published Experiencing The Bond Centre, a detailed account of her experiences and insights of the project, which has received both local and international acclaim. She is a Director for the firm Chau Ku & Leung Architects and Engineers, where she has implemented projects of high complexity including Whampoa Garden Development, the Bond Centre, and the China Ferry Terminal Development. As Director, she is directly involved in all aspects of design, detail planning and implementation of major projects.
About the Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is the premier cultural venue for architecture and the built environment in New York City, informed by the complexity of the City’s urban fabric and in dialogue with the global community. The Center shares a home with the AIA New York Chapter and has the unique advantage of drawing upon the ideas and experiences of practicing architects to produce thought-provoking exhibitions, informative public programs, and quality design education experiences for K-12 students. It also leads New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival, Archtober. The Center for Architecture’s aim is to further public knowledge about New York City architecture and architects, foster exchange and collaboration among members of the design, development, building, scholarly, and policy sectors, and inspire new ideas about the role of design in communities by presenting contemporary and practical issues in architecture and urbanism to a general audience. www.centerforarchitecture.org