Francesco Rossini on Activating Hong Kong's Public Space Through Temporary Architecture

Italian architect and urbanist Francesco Rossini, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) School of Architecture, has transitioned from theory to practice by piloting temporary public space interventions in Hong Kong's Central district. His CWLane Reading Space, a bright red shelving structure inspired by local stairways, operated for six weeks from October to November 2023, offering 400 books from CUHK for community self-management. A prior project, nullahplace, occupied a former gas station site. Both interventions are part of Rossini's research on activating underused public spaces within private properties, a hybrid condition prevalent in Hong Kong. He distinguishes his approach from mainstream 'place making' by advocating 'making place'—a gradual, long-term process of testing spatial strategies through temporary uses to understand urban complexity. Rossini holds a PhD from Barcelona Tech UPC and has conducted experiments in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila. Future plans include addressing unclear ownership spaces in Hong Kong and continuing informal city projects in the Philippines, such as a playhouse in Baseco, Manila, and a Learning Center for the Ati indigenous community in Aklan province, developed with Politecnico di Milano.