Acclaimed Hong Kong architectural practice, BARRIE HO Architecture, has long believed that the successful transformation of traditional buildings is all about understanding and engaging the local milieu. Which helps explain the firm’s latest project, the Community Gallery @ Dulwich Hill. It’s an ambitious conversion of a classic brick warehouse into an eclectic community space in an inner western suburb of Sydney.

While some workers might be reluctant to return to the office after warming to the practice of working from home, it’s likely the employees of Korea’s Hana Financial Group can’t wait to move into the company’s remarkable new headquarters, which totally embraces health and wellness for both staff and the wider community and shuns the traditional office tower environment.

Nature-seekers and back-packers have long been drawn to Dali, in China’s Yunnan Province, by its natural beauty. Now the city, nestled between mountains and Lake Erhai, is putting arts and culture centre stage, with new developments, such as The Leas, offering a stunningly designed exhibition space to showcase local artistic themes.

Kwun Tong, like Hong Kong itself, is undergoing constant change as industrial buildings make way for new commercial and retail developments. So, it’s appropriate that Time Loop – a new art piece celebrating the infinite rhythm of change by celebrated British designer Paul Cocksedge – has been installed at the entrance of the district’s Yue Man Square (YM2), thanks to a donation by the Sino Group.

The historic port city of Haikou, on China’s Hainan Island, has commissioned architects and artists from around the world to create 16 pavilions as part of an ambitious new cultural landmark project – and the first of them, The Cloudscape, has just opened to the public. If it’s anything to go by, the coastline will be a sight to behold when all the structures are completed, scheduled for the end of 2021.

Bean Buro co-founder Lorène Faure channelled her childhood memories and the excitement of her first day at school to create a playful and stimulating environment for the new Asia regional office of a leading UK-based group of boarding schools. The studio injected a “pop of red” which weaves its way through the open floorplan like a ribbon, helping to organise and connect different functional zones.

A sleek new office complex in Hangzhou is another striking illustration of how the future of the workplace is being reimagined following the disruptive impact of Covid-19. Indoor-outdoor courtyards, multi-level greenery and an abundance of open spaces and natural light truly set this twin-tower development by LWK + PARTNERS apart.

The gentrification of Kennedy Town took another giant step forward this year with the opening of 2CS, a community-centric retail and entertainment hub featuring the first independent movie cinema in Hong Kong’s western district. Local studio 4N Design has pulled off a magical transformation that blends beautifully with the local streetscape.

Hong Kong designer Myron Kwan went out on a creative limb with his Green Experience Pavilion in Foshan which dramatically reimagines notions of retailing. However, the risk paid off handsomely as the clients were delighted and Kwan is now the proud recipient of an A&D Gold Award for Interior Design.

Leading architects KPF were big winners in A&D Awards 2020, snapping up three awards including Gold for its ambitious development project in Shanghai’s chic Xintiandi district. Judges loved the way the mixed-use project, which features an ultra-modern office tower, connects with the fabric of the Xintiandi neighbourhood including heritage buildings and parkland.