BODW 2012 encourages creativity and explores business opportunities

BODW 2012 encourages creativity and explores business opportunities (above) BODW speaker kazuyo sejima, SANAA, second female winner of the pritzker architecture prize

the asian design community event of the year ‘business of design week 2012‘ (BODW) finished on 8 december 2012. the three-day event was held at the HKCEC in wan chai, which attracted numerous fans and journalists alike. gracing the occasion was guest of honour, mr. leung chun ying, chief executive of the HKSAR and frederik, crown prince of denmark. since this year’s BODW partner country was denmark, the forum hosted a number of influential danish designers and design leaders. the danes, known for their functional creations, shared their design culture, philosophies and experiences with the BODW audience, sharing how they improve the livelihood of danish people through great social design.

the third day of the forum concluded with a full day session of talks on the topic of ‘culture & the city’ whereby speakers discussed how architects balance space and architecture to influence people’s livelihood and culture through urban development. the morning hosted a renowned line-up of presentations by michael lynch, CEO of west kowloon cultural district authority; ma yansong, founder of MAD architects; ronnie chan, chairman of the asia society hong kong centre and hang lung properties, with billie tsien, principal of tod williams billie tsien architects, moderated by marisa yiu and eric schuldenfrei, co-founders of ESKYIU.

concurrently in an alternative venue, keith tam, professor at the hong kong polytechnic university moderated talks by bo linneman, creative director & founding partner of kontrapunkt ; mirko borsche, founder of bureau mirko borsche; david fella, CEO and co-founding partner of designit; and masashi kawamura, creative director and founder of PARTY creative lab who addressed the area of ‘communications & design’.

thomas heatherwick presented his idea of the olympic cauldron at the london olympics opening ceremony

the final afternoon track was part two of the morning’s ‘culture & the city’ theme, featuring bjarne hammer, founding partner and creative director, schmidt hammer lassen architects; mark dytham, founder of klein dytham architecture; dr. victor lo, chairman of the board of directors of the hong kong design centre; carl depauw, direct of the museom on the river; with the 2012 BODW forum closing with kazuyo sejima, architect and founder of SANAA.

ma yansong, founder of MAD architectsimage © designboom

after three days of thought provoking content the vibrant BODW forum brought business of design week 2012 to a close. with the announcement of next year’s partner country, belgium, it is certain that it will bring about more positive changes in the design and business communities. BODW 2013 will be held on 2-7 december.

see designboom’s coverage of day one and two of the 2012 BODW forum.

designboom is an international media partner of the business of design week (BODW) first hosted by the hong kong design centre (HKDC) in 2002, business of design week (BODW) is a must-attend ideas exchange platform for asia’s most innovative thinkers and business leaders. now in its 10th year, BODW – as the finale of 2012 design year – continues to inspire valuable dialogue through an unrivaled blend of forums, seminars, exhibitions and outreach programmes for designers, business leaders, educators, SMEs and the public to exchange ideas and address a wide array of 21st century challenges. if you want to stay on top of cutting edge opportunities in design, technology and brand management, this is one event you won’t want to miss! this year, BODW is partnering with denmark. it is certain that it will bring about more positive changes in the people centered design and business communities.

BODW 2012hongkong convention and exhibition center 03-08.12.2012