Rocco Design Architects/Rocco Yim Project Archives 許李嚴建築師事務有限公司／嚴迅奇項目檔案

The Rocco Design Architects / Rocco Yim Project Archives represent some of Rocco Yim’s most significant projects, from his 1983 entry to the competition for an opera house on the Place de la Bastille in Paris to more recent projects like the Guangdong Museum of Art. Important Hong Kong–related projects showcase Yim’s response to density and urbanistic requirements, as in Hollywood Terrace in Sheung Wan and Graduate House at the University of Hong Kong.

The archives also include large-scale public projects, both realised and unrealised, such as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Headquarters and a proposal for the master plan of the West Kowloon Cultural District. Examples of more recent work in mainland China, such as the Bamboo Pavilion, the Distorted Courtyard House, and the Guangdong Museum of Art, investigate the reconciliation of his modern design vocabulary with historical Chinese practices and references.

This archive contains material relating to twelve projects, with most projects represented by concept sketches and more developed drawings. Detailed building plans are largely absent, as the material comes from the personal papers of Rocco Yim rather than from the archives of his firm. The material gives insight into the early design process for these projects and complements the architectural models for projects by Yim held in the M+ Collections.

These drawings were donated to M+ by Rocco Design Architects in 2013.

M+ asked the architect to select projects that demonstrate his position as an international architect, as well as his contributions to Hong Kong’s built environment. The architect was then asked to donate all available archival material relating to these projects. The final donation mainly includes early concept sketches. More developed drawings and technical plans were retained by the firm.

Arranged chronologically by project.

The part of the Rocco Design Architects / Rocco Yim Project Archives that was not acquired by M+ was retained by the firm at their offices in Hong Kong.