Rocco Yim

The principal of Rocco Design Architects Associates, Rocco Yim is responsible for many of Hong Kong’s most immediately recognisable buildings, as well as an equally impressive portfolio in mainland China. He has more than 100 projects under his belt in his hometown, including the Central Government Complex at Tamar, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, One Peking Road, Wesleyan House Methodist International Church, Kerry Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel and iSquare; highlights over the border include the Guangdong Museum, the Baoan Cultural Complex and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He is also an honorary professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and an adjunct professor at HKU Space.

Yim started his career working at established architecture firm Spence Robinson, but it wasn’t long before he struck out on his own, in 1979—something that he says happened entirely because of the project that also established his name as an architect: the Franki Centre in Kowloon Tong.

Among the numerous buildings he’s created, several are close to his heart because they’re such a specific response to the unique circumstances of Hong Kong: those on incredibly compact parcels of land, such as the Palace Museum and Chu Hai College of Higher Education in Tuen Mun; and those with competing demands, such as Tamar.

In 2024, Yim was awarded a gold medal from the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) in recognition of his substantial contributions to architecture in Hong Kong and abroad, citing his “visionary approach [in shaping] the skylines of major cities with landmark projects such as the HKSAR Government Headquarters, the IFC, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, solidifying his enduring influence in the field.”