Re-architect

Re-architect was a game on urban design, play and transformation. The game took players on a photographic treasure hunt. Re-architect was played during the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong, December 2008. As the game unfolded, players were asked to respond to design principles, investigate their surroundings and photograph the city from different architectural perspectives.

The architecture of Hong Kong is extremely varied. Hong Kong has undergone different architectural eras - based on both Chinese and European traditions - and has for the last decades been in the 'Metropolis' era creating the worlds biggest skyline with a total of 7,681 skyscrapers. Hong Kong has become a centre for modern architecture, but due to the lack of available space, few historical buildings remain in the urban areas of Hong Kong, as older buildings are cleared away to make space for newer, larger buildings. Thus, a perfect place to play Re-architect!

Individually players learned more on how they perceive the city, and collectively all players created a new map of the city. Re-architect was played with GPS-enabled phones, triggering game content by player’s positions, and also just using a hard-copy map and a camera.