Youders’ Story – Ms. Ivy Lee 李少穎女士
Recipient of Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in 1994/95
尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金1994/95年度得獎者
Ms. Ivy Lee was the recipient of the ‘Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students’ in 1994 / 1995, whilst at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (“CUHK”). Now as a practising Architect and the Managing Director of Leigh & Orange Limited, Ivy, shares her personal insight into how the scholarship provided her with support through her academic years and furthermore how is imprinted upon her the need to actively “pay back” to the community for the support she received and how it has inspired her to apply her skills and social values to support and nurture a wider sphere of society. Within the architectural and construction sector, she is an advocate for sustainable development and the necessity to cut-back on its significant contribution to total global energy-related CO2 emissions, whilst sharing her time and talents through her pro bono work to the education sector and in providing, through Leigh & Orange, scholarships to students studying architecture.
Ivy exhibited a keen spatial awareness as a child through her interest in building models and a natural appreciation of and interest in the visual arts. Her uncle, who is also an Architect, recognised her natural ability and passion for design, and provided her with an insight into the world of architecture. Fortuitously she had the opportunity to visit construction sites during secondary school years and was able to have a glimpse of how design was turned into reality. It was no surprise that she was inspired to become an Architect. After graduating from high school, she studied for her Bachelor’s degree in the Department of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Progressing through to her Master’s programme, she spent one year as an exchange student at the University of Washington in Seattle. Part of the Master’s degree requires students to execute a final year project and to exhibit aspects of all of their other projects. Ivy was elected as the Chairperson for the exhibition and to exhibit her own projects, and shortly afterwards, following a brief conversation with a Principal Director from Leigh & Orange she was invited to join them.
Since Ivy accepted the offer from Leigh and Orange in 1998, she has progressed from Assistant Project Designer through to Partner in 2009 – ten years after joining Leigh and Orange, and became the firm’s first female Managing Director in 2017. The firm has a long and impressive history since its establishment in 1874, and it has witnessed and supported the transformation of Hong Kong from a small fishing village into an international metropolis, with many fundamental projects being undertaken by Leigh and Orange. In the early years, the firm’s founders were involved in infrastructural projects such as Belcher’s Bay Reclamation, the Tai Tam Reservoir, and several housing and education projects such as the Loke Yew Hall at the University of Hong Kong (“HKU”). Later, the rising living standards boosted the demand for leisure facilities, and the firm participated in Ocean Park and Jockey Club Racecourse projects. Ivy is proud of the company’s history and the fact that it was fortunate to participate early on in the development of Hong Kong and that it still remains participatory in major development sectors at home, in addition to carrying-out international projects.
Among many other projects that Ivy participated in, the two Hong Kong Science Park projects are imprinted upon her most strongly for personal as well as professional reasons:-
The Science Park Phase 2 Development was her first large-scale project after joining the firm. It was a complex programme including two energy towers, eight research offices and laboratories as well as the iconic “golden egg” auditorium. Despite input from other specialist consultants, her supervisor requested her to clearly understand all of these complex technical details and the corresponding integration and construction. From the connection of pipelines in each building to the communications, project management and lobbying required with the clients’ team, this project allowed her to grow into a more independent and competent professional Architect dealing with the wide gamut of roles and responsibilities one finds throughout all stages of a project.
Another memorable Science Park project is the recently completed “InnoCell” development. This is a pilot project for Hong Kong applying the principles of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) in a high-rise building scenario. Whilst not new, this technique will promote innovations in the construction sector in Hong Kong and will lessen the pressure of labour shortage in the industry. Given the dense nature of Hong Kong and the prevailing building regulations, MiC faced huge challenges both technically and statutorily. This is a hurdle to every stakeholder in the industry, including Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Contractors. As the Lead Architectural Consultant, Ivy was involved in every part of this project, from the conceptualisation of the design to its approach to prefabrication through to assembly and installation. Ivy’s view is that this project has driven the entire industry to work together, promoted innovative construction methods and has set a benchmark for Hong Kong’s development into a smarter and greener built environment.
Returning to Ivy’s desire to promote a sustainable development of the construction industry, she notes that the awareness of environmental protection has been more prevalent in the past two decades, and it has now quite rightly become the focus of national policy. In Leigh & Orange, sustainable development is one of the four core values of the company to which a sustainability team has been established to provide sustainable design to project teams. In addition to her professional commitments, she is also the Chairperson of the BEAM Society Limited. The society provides BEAM assessment to different construction projects in Hong Kong, encouraging the industry to build a greener Hong Kong and, in doing so, to achieve those reductions in energy-related CO2 emissions that the environment so desperately needs.
Ivy was awarded the ‘Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Scholarship’ whilst completing her undergraduate studies. Pointing out that studying architecture is extremely costly with the expense of constructing physical building models, photography, materials, joining field trips, and self-initiated education imposed a substantial financial burden to her family and her in managing all available sources of finance. The scholarship significantly eased her financial burden and pressure, allowing her to focus more on her studies. Furthermore, the principle that the awardee of the scholarship should “give back” to the society made for her a mission.
Apart from promoting the sustainable development of the industry, she also established a scholarship in Leigh & Orange, amongst other scholarships to local tertiary institutes, to encourage students to seek overseas education through travel and exploration and to broaden their architectural horizons and life skills. It aims to enrich their experience through such exposure to world architecture and culture, and hence to invigorate their creativity and better prepare them for an architectural career at the highest professional level. Ivy also reminds us of the responsibility that is placed upon all recipients of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship to “pay back” the generosity and faith bestowed upon them and to positively enrich the community and future generations of Architects, with whom they interact and mentor for the betterment of our entire society.
李少穎女士於1994/1995年在香港中文大學得尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金， 現時她是一名執業建築師和利安顧問有限公司（”利安”）的董事總經理，在此分享她的見解和體會：如何通過獎學金提供的支持，在學習期間已立下目標，學業有成後積極回饋社會，不負基金的支持；並激發她運用所掌握的技能和培育的價值觀來為更廣泛的社會領域作出貢獻。 在建築設計和建築管理方面，她倡導和踐行可持續發展及綠色低碳，以及控制和減少全球能源相關二氧化碳排放總量的必要性。同時，她積極投放時間，發揮自己的才能，義務為社會提供相關教育和培訓，並通過利安向在校建築學科的學生提供獎學金。
李少穎女士從小就透過對建築模型的興趣和對視覺藝術的欣賞，表現出敏銳的空間意識。她一位叔叔，是一名建築師，察覺到她有先天的設計天賦並對設計充滿熱情，成為她洞察建築世界的窗口。她在中學期間就有幸獲得機會參觀建築工地，得以一睹建築設計如何變成現實，因而深受啟發，立志成為一名建築師。高中畢業後，她在香港中文大學建築學系攻讀學士學位及碩士學位，期間她接受了系科主任的推薦，在美國西雅圖的華盛頓大學做了一年交換生。碩士畢業時，李女士被選為畢業展覽的策展負責人，展覽期間，在與利安一位執行董事進行了簡短交流後，她被邀請加入公司。
李少穎女士自1998年加入利安，她從助理項目設計師做起，在加入公司十年後於2009年成為公司合夥人，更於2017年晉升為該公司首位女性董事總經理。利安於1874年成立，有著悠久的歷史。公司參與到香港許多公共建築和基礎項目的設計，見證和推動了香港從一個小漁村變成國際大都會。早期，該公司的創始人參與了城市基礎設施項目，如香港西環卑路乍灣填海工程、大潭水庫，以及一些住宅和教育項目，如香港大學陸佑堂。後來，隨著社會生活水準提高，增加了對休閒設施的需求，該公司參與了香港海洋公園和賽馬會賽馬場等項目。李女士為公司的歷史感到十分自豪，因為公司有幸在早期就參與了香港發展。時至今日，除了國際項目，該公司也持續參與了內地的主要城市發展建設。
在李少穎女士參與的眾多項目中，香港科學園的兩個項目，無論是從個人角度還是工作角度，均令她印象最為深刻：-
香港科學園項目第二階段開發，是她加入公司後第一個大型項目。這是一個極為複雜的綜合性項目，包括兩座能源塔、八座科研辦公室和實驗室大廈及科學園的標誌性建築“金蛋”會議中心。當時，該項目儘管有其他專家顧問提供意見，但她的主管仍要求她清晰地瞭解所有複雜技術細節以及相應的組合和建設。通過這個項目實踐，從連接每個建築的管道到確保有效聯通、綜合項目管理到協調客戶及各個團隊的不同需要，在整個項目過程中，李女士需要運用不同的管理方法，同時承擔重要的角色和責任，讓她成長為一個更加獨立和稱職的專業建築師。
另一個難忘的是香港科學園最近完成的「創新斗室」(“InnoCell”)發展項目。這是一個在香港將組裝合成建築法(“MiC”)應用於高層建築的重要試點項目。組裝合成雖然不是新技術，更可以推動香港建造業的創新及緩解勞工短缺的問題，但鑒於香港的人口密集和現行建築法規，組裝合成在技術和法律層面上均面臨巨大挑戰。這對建築行業中的相關持份者，包括建築師、工程師、測量師和承包商等都是一個障礙。作為首席建築顧問，李女士參與了這個項目的各個環節，從概念設計到預製方法，再到組合和安裝。她認為，這個項目為香港建築業引入了新的建築方法，並提供了解決人手短缺的方案。通過該項目的實踐，帶動了整個行業合作，推廣了創新的建築方法，為香港未來的智慧型及綠色環保建設樹立了標杆。
關於李少穎女士促進建築行業可持續發展的願望，她指出，過去二十年，環境保護意識更為普遍，現在已經成為國家發展的基本國策。在利安，可持續發展是公司四個核心價值觀之一，並設立了相關專業團隊為項目團隊提供有關環境保護的專業意見。在公司以外，李女士也是香港建築環保評估協會有限公司的主席。該協會為香港的不同建築項目提供綠建環評（”BEAM”）認證，鼓勵行業建設一個更綠色更環保的香港，並以此減少與能源相關的二氧化碳排放量，而這是保護環境所迫切需要的。
李女士在中文大學攻讀本科時獲頒尤德爵士紀念基金的本科生獎學金。她指出，學習建築學的費用極其昂貴，搭建實體建築模型、攝影、材料、參加實地考察和課外教育經費等需要大量金錢，為她和她的家庭帶來了沉重的經濟負擔。獲得獎學金大大減輕了她經濟上的壓力，讓她能夠更專注於學習。此外，該獎學金獲得者應回饋社會的原則，亦為她注入了一種使命感。
除了促進建築行業的可持續發展，李少穎女士還在利安設立了獎學金，其中包括向本地大專院校建築學科的學生頒發獎學金，用於鼓勵他們通過旅行和海外交流探索世界，並拓寬他們的建築視野和生活技能。學生們透過接觸世界不同建築和文化來豐富經驗，從而激發他們的創造力，更好地為他們在最高專業水準的建築職業生涯做好準備。李女士也提醒我們，所有尤德爵士紀念基金的得獎者都應飲水思源，將他們的所學及所獲回饋社會，與未來一代的建築師積極互動，與建築師社群更加緊密，從而改善和豐富我們整個社會的生活。