To Agonize: The Free Market Manifesto

Personal Info

Name: Bryan Bvyn Wong

Nationality: Hong Kong

Institution / Company: The University of Hong Kong

Instagram: @bvyn_______

Facebook: Bryan Bvyn Wong 

-FINALIST of Non Architecture Award Competition | Category: Urban

What if the city center lies back onto the market instead of any financial business hubs? What if market could self-brand itself into a tourist and citizen hot spot?

By expanding and redesigning Shek Kip Mei Market, this project challenges the idea of a decentralized marketing space where no actual management is needed to maintain order from vendors. The design first solves previous issue on fragmentation, ventilation and hygiene; then uses a range of techniques including the reshuffled node-foci (inspired by Richard Senett’s Buildings and Dwellings), hierarchical landmarking, more and pause spaces, non-place redefined and sunken centers to help shape a local community.

This design explores the longevity of soft city by proposing a poetic and chaotic landmark that is defined by the people, but not the building. An open democratic urbanism that allows citizen to live with conviviality and safety whilst maximizes spatial definition and social interactions. “Agonism” should not be avoided in a community; a community will only become better when people start to discuss and argue, so compromising and understanding each other will build on trust and bonds. A truly “free market” is defined by the people, not the economy.

Project Type: 

Responding to gentrification

Rethinking a historic market and its surrounded landscape