Candles are hard to beat when it comes to creating atmosphere and mood, but they can be messy and there’s always the risk of fire. London-based designer Jim Rokos has come up with a brilliant solution which is both elegant and practical. And it can also be a handy way to signal the end of a dinner party!

While Siem Reap is renowned for the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, it also offers a lesser-known pleasure – it’s home-grown rice wine. Now the ancient Cambodian city is home to a boutique hotel fashioned in the style of its rice wine brewing cylinders, thanks to creative Hong Kong studio, Orient Occident Atelier.

Hong Kong architect 10 Design has won an international contest to redevelop a 24 hectare site in Nanjing into a mega mixed-use development as part of an ambitious transformation of a former military airbase. The central theme was to echo the historic past of the former capital, while reflecting the future aspirations of the bustling city, home to close to 9 million people.

A&D Awards 2020 has again proven its importance to the architecture and interior design community – and a newly-introduced category also proved to be a big hit!

With the final tally completed, more than 300 projects were submitted from architectural and design practices across Greater China, with just over 50% from Hong Kong-based studios. One of the new categories – Future Developments – attracted just over 20% of the Architecture submissions. Interior design projects were again the most popular, accounting for two-thirds of entries.

Working out and clubbing are weekly staples for many young urban professionals – so why not combine the two? “When Gymming Meets Clubbing” is the design concept behind Physical 2.0, a psychedelic new workout space in Shanghai, fashioned by Hong Kong-based studio Panorama.

Imagine the Ritz Paris, the Chateau de Versailles and the Museum of Modern Art – and you’ll start to have a feel for AXA Prime Lounge. Designed by Hong Kong-based 4N Design for French insurer AXA, the lounge is both an indulgent sanctuary for AXA’s premium clients and an homage to French and European architecture, design and art.

A&D Awards 2020 is now closed for entries after a remarkably strong response from architecture and design practices and product suppliers across the Greater China region. Despite the challenges created by the pandemic, more than 300 high-calibre entries were submitted for both local and international projects, including the new categories of Future Developments and Innovation and Technology. Judging will soon be underway.

If you’ve ever been to Yakinikumafia in the colourful Tokyo district of Kabukicho, you’ll recall it’s sleek interiors and outstanding Japanese Wagyu. Now there’s a Yakinikumafia in Hong Kong and, thanks to local design studio Bean Buro, it’s lost none of its funky character.

Imagine the challenge of turning two decaying, rammed earth-wood village houses, in a remote mountainous village in China, accessible only by narrow pathways, into a luxurious hotel. That’s exactly what Hangzhou-based Line+ Studio did to create the stunning Stray Bird Art Hotel in Chenjiapu village, Songyang county.

Digital technologies have flourished during the Covid outbreak, keeping businesses going, information flowing and people connected.

How those technologies can be interwoven with human-centred design to create a better world will be one of the key questions facing society as it emerges from the pandemic. It will also be the focus of Hong Kong Design Centre’s Knowledge of Design Week from 26 to 29 August.