Speaker Profiles

Session 1: Human Environment Needs

Caroline Sohie
Associate Director, Architecture Director of INSTINCT


Caroline Sohie has almost two decades of design experience in the leadership of large public infrastructure environments around the world, where interior spaces represent a natural extension of the broader external urban systems, and boundaries between the outside and inside are blurred and redefined.

As an architect she is passionate about interdisciplinary design as she believes innovation lies in the cross-fertilisation of ideas, stemming from many parallel disciplines.

After developing a wide ranging portfolio for the global design and engineering company ARUP, from rail, aviation to projects in culture and education, she became a principal of the international design practice INSTINCT, featuring projects that bring strategic and creative responses to the challenges of a rapidly evolving world.

Her most recent design and research focus lies in engaging with the social and cultural ecologies of ‘place’, to enable realities that can add quality of life to people whilst creating systemic change.

Session 2: Communication

Kung Shu Chang
National Chiao Tung University


Shu-Chang Kung received M.Arch (1992) and M.Des. (1993) from GSD, Harvard University, U.S.A. In 1997, Kung established AURA Architects & Associates in Taipei. The works of AURA always challenge the double entity and dialogue between architecture and natural organism in different scales, materials or site situations.Currently Kung is the associate professor & director at the Graduate Institute of Architecture, NCTU, Taiwan, and the chairman of Board, Chinese Association of Interior Designers (CSID).

His recent works received many awards – The Special Jury Award of TID Award (2007/ 2008/ 2009), iF Communication Design Award (2007), Honorable Mention of Far Eastern School Architectural Design Award(2005), Second Prize of Taiwan Architecture Award (2004), Silver and Bronze Medal of JCD Design Award, Japan (2004), Second Prize of Far Eastern Architectural Design Award(2003).

In addition to his many contributions to the fields of architectural design and education, Shu-Chang Kung has actively participated in various exhibitions, conferences and lectures in the arts and culture world. He served as the Taiwan representative at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture and at the Next-Gene 20 of the Eleventh International Architecture Biennale Venice both in 2008; as the chief curator for“Taipei Pavilion” at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in 2011-12, and “Adaptive City－2013 Taipei Design & City Exhibition” for 2016 World Design Capital.

Session 3: Interior Construction, Codes and Regulations

Louie T. Navarro
1B Design Group Inc.


IDr. Louie T. Navarro, PIID, CIDE has been recently awarded The Hong Kong Polytechnic University International Postgraduate Scholarships for PhD Studies for his research project entitled The Perfection of the Interior Render: Reconsidering Representations in Interior Design and its impact on Thinking, Practice, and Policy which explore what futures can the Professional Practice of Interior Design expect with the continued digitisation of ways of representing a design idea. With a BFA Interior Design degree from the University of Santo Tomas and an MA Art Studies degree (major in Art Theory and Criticism) from the University of the Philippines, he is also a part-time Interior Design educator for the interior design programs of UST and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and the Arts.

Louie is a co-founder and Senior Interior Design Associate of Philippine-based design firm 1B Design Group Inc.

Session 4: Professional Practice

Shigeru Kubota
President, Kubota Architect & Associates Inc.

1969 Born in Tokyo Japan

2003 Established Kubota Architects and Associates Inc.

Planning, design producing and design work has covered a wide range of categories including architecture, interior, products, and so on.

The famous works are MERCEDES-BENZ CONNECTION, Bosch Café, METoA Ginza(Mitsubishi Electric’s Showroom), Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi, etc. He won many prizes, MERCEDES-BENZ CONNECTION, Imabari Towel Minamiaoyana, UT(UNIQLO T-Shit Store) and more.

Session 5: Products & Materials

Dr. Patrick LEUNG
Founder and Principal Designer of P A L Design Group
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Lincoln University
Hong Kong Top Ten Designer, HKIDA (Pro.) Honorary Advisor

Dr. Patrick Leung, graduated the design with distinction at the Polytechnic University in 1978. His interior designs convey east and west culture, jump over between modern and classic. He creates spaces artistically with an emphasis on design and art blending into each other, which enhances tasteful, creativity, comfort and timeless interiors, in order to promote a better living standard and improve the living environment.

Dr. Leung established PAL Design Group in 1994. Apart from the Hong Kong headquarters, he has set branch offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. He was excellent in controlling large-scale international hospitality and clubhouse.

He and his team’s works have been honoured with more than 200 international awards. The most outstanding one, the IFI Grand Prize Design Award honoured his project for being the “World’s Best Interior Design”.

Session 6: Design

Caroline Bos
BA, MSc, Int (F)RIBA Co-Founder / Principal Urban Planner UNStudio
Honorary Professor at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

Caroline Bos (1959) studied History of Art at Birkbeck College of the University of London, and Urban and Regional Planning at the Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht. In 1988 she founded Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau with the architect Ben van Berkel, extending their joint theoretical and writing projects to the practice of architecture. In 1998 Van Berkel and Bos was transformed into UNStudio; a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. Caroline is a registered urban designer and leads UNStudio’s Urban Unit.

She has taught as a guest lecturer at Princeton University, the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Academy of Architecture in Arnhem and has been External Examiner at DRL, Architectural Association, London. Currently she is Honorary professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the university of Melbourne. Caroline collaborates with academic staff of affiliated universities and institutions on papers focusing on urban topics.