“Bricking Up” with Carbon is centered around rearranging a brick wall. With a global climate crisis growing day by day, architecture’s role in producing carbon emissions needs to be reexamined, not only by architects, but by the public as well. By gradually transforming a stacked brick wall in the center of the exhibition space into usable tables and chairs over time, a spatial divider becomes a catalyst for social interaction in the form of furniture, binding spatial change to material reuse. Inviting visitors to sit down and have a chat, the space invites everyone to take a “brick” (break) from their hectic daily lives.

In Hong Kong, construction waste contributes around 70% of the city’s total waste. Although low-carbon construction alternative materials have been gaining traction around the world, conversation has been lacking in Hong Kong surrounding local material contexts. An experimental platform is needed to translate global discourse into new ways of thinking about local architectural practice.

About Whaterial (乜料 · 物料)
This exhibition is created by Whaterial, a group of three HKU BA(AS) ’25 students who are dissatisfied with the current material innovation and construction material reuse scene in Hong Kong, and are eager to provoke conversation on what it means to design and build responsibly. A portmanteau of “what” and “material” invites people to start caring about of what and how the built environment around them is made. They believe that only by lowering the barriers of access within the field of architecture can meaningful dialogue happen, where community needs are addressed alongside public architectural education. As architecture students in HKU, they also play a part in reducing and reusing studio waste that they produce every semester.

Exhibition Team: Whaterial (乜料 · 物料)
Exhibitors:
CHAN Cheuk Tung Kim (BAAS ’25)
CHEUNG Kun Ho Nicholas (BAAS ’25)
TANG Chun Hei Isaac (BAAS ’25)

Curator:
Thomas Tsang
Director of Exhibition, Department of Architecture, HKU

Opening reception:
5:30pm, 4 June 2025 (Wed)

Workshop dates:
14 and 15 June 2025 (Sat-Sun)
Workshop registration through Whaterial’s Instagram: @whaterial

Know more about HKU ARCHITECTURE GALLERY “Bricking Up” with Carbon: Investigating Local Artificial Geologies Exhibition
Website: www.arch.hku.hk/event_/bricking-up-with-carbon
Facebook: www.facebook.com/archhku
Instagram: @hkuarchitecture