Business of Design Week (BODW) was back for its 11th edition in Hong Kong from 2 – 7 December.

Every year sees the international event partnering up with a country of design influence, and this year was no different.

Belgium was selected as the event’s partner country for 2013 and true to theme, this year’s programme included Belgium heavyweights from the fields of architecture, industrial design and fashion.

Kicking off the week were Guests-of-Honour HM Queen of the Belgians and HKSAR Chief Executive Mr CY Leung.

The first day saw Belgium’s celebrated designer Charles Kaisin give an inspiring speech on sustainable design, while respected Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto captivated audiences with his design philosophy.

The second day began with a memorable presentation by Italian architect and designer Stefano Giovannoni, who spoke about his design experiences, including his hugely successful collaboration with Italian homeware brand Alessi.

Internationally renowned architects Julien de Smedt of JDS Architects and Keith Griffiths of Aedas International were also there to share their experiences in building large-scale projects around the world, while Japanese architect Toyo Ito inspired audiences with his speech on Modernism. Also there to represent Hong Kong was celebrated interior designer Joyce Wang, who talked about her design philosophy.

The last day was no less eventful with Belgium’s Hilde Daem and Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde just some of the names to take the stand.

BODW
bodw.com

Watch this space for our interviews with Sou Fujimoto and Toyo Ito.