ARTHUR C.S. KWOK, Chairman
B. Arch. (MIT), FHKIA, RIBA
Authorized Person (Architect), Registered Architect (ARB)

Arthur C.S. Kwok, the founding chairman of AKAA, is the powerhouse of our firm. With his remarkable leadership, acute sensibility and unrelenting perfectionism, he has guided the steady growth of AKAA, which celebrates its 32nd anniversary this year.

Mr. Kwok received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967. Upon graduation, he was recruited by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, NY (the recipient of the very first A.I.A. Firm of the Year Award in 1961), and became a member of the design team led by Gordon Bunshaft. During his practice at SOM, Mr. Kwok developed expertise in international hotel design, and was invited to join the firm of the renowned Finnish architect, Alvar Alto. Instead, Mr. Kwok decided to return to Hong Kong and sought professional training at one of the largest local firms, Wong Tung & Partners.

In 1971, Mr. Kwok founded his own company, Arthur C.S. Kwok Architects and Associates. Although the team consisted of only 5 people, Mr. Kwok established AKAA quickly and successfully as one of the leading architectural firms in Hong Kong.

Mr. Kwok was one of the very first Hong Kong architects to establish prestige in China. In 1979, he was chosen as the associate architect in collaboration with Clement Chen (U.S.A.) for the Jianguo Hotel in Beijing. This project held both political and historical significance as it was the first joint-venture hotel development between U.S.A. and China. Mr. Kwok has since collaborated with many other esteemed architects, such as Kenzo Tange (Japan), Pedro Belluschi (U.S.A.), Norman Foster (U.K.), Pei Partnership Architects, S.O.M. Asia Ltd. and Brennan Beer Gorman Architects Ltd.