This course introduces students to contemporary architecture as a major feature of the urban built environment. Taking Hong Kong’s architecture in the context of local social, political and economic developments and of the contemporaneous architecture scene worldwide, students will explore questions of what ‘architecture’ is, what its impact might be, how architects may think about and justify their designs, and how we might begin to evaluate architectural quality. Students will also develop transferable skills in independent critical thinking, research, teamwork, communication, and self-reflection, this last in relation to their personal experience of architecture.