Planning a better future

Projects on display include some of China's iconic buildings, such as the 183-meter-high HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong, and Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, whose soaring aerodynamic roof and dragon-shaped form have been praised.

Spencer de Grey, the firm's senior executive partner and head of design, says, while 40 years back, the materials needed for the construction of the HSBC Main Building project were largely exported from Europe and the United States, Terminal 3 is totally "made in China", and is of high quality and complexity.

He adds that it represents a major investment in infrastructure, which is the key to the future development of cities and human civilization, noting that in that area, China has taken the initiative.

The firm's increasing projects in China show a diversity of requirement within the nation's cities, especially when it comes to urban planning.

One featured model at the exhibition introduces a 40-hectare master plan conceived for the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, now under construction.

"Hong Kong has always excited us as a city. It has a vibrancy, a life which is very exciting," De Grey says.

"What we didn't want to do was to create a sort of cultural complex where there is a string of beautifully designed, individually designed cultural buildings in isolation from the rest of the city."