Henry Chan has been appointed to lead the acoustics, audio visual and theatre consulting team for Arup in Hong Kong.
Chan was part of Arup in Hong Kong from 2000 to 2016. He left to join local HK consultancy, AEC, focusing on environmental consultancy and helped AEC develop its acoustics, AV, lighting and theatre business.
On re-joining Arup, Chan commented: “I have been working in the disciplines [acoustics, audio visual and theatre] and I felt that the time was right to come back to Arup. Arup is an international company and is bidding and competing for high profile projects. They needed a leader to strengthen the team and I felt that my skills were a perfect match.”
Chan believes that the performance sector, where Arup is already strong, is poised for growth in Hong Kong. He said: “Previously the Hong Kong government invested in infrastructure projects, commercial buildings and residential projects. But now I think that the people need more entertainment after Covid-19, we have the rebuild the energy of the city. I think both the government and the people would like to see more initiatives around entertainment.”
In Chan’s opinion, a new approach to performance venues should be taken. He detailed: “Performing arts venues in Hong Kong are going towards ‘version 2.0’ development. What I mean is that a classical or traditional performance venue with fixed seating, proscenium, some stage lighting and left-right-centre speakers is good but now people want a different experience. They have been exposed to virtual reality, immersive experience, AR, video mapping and much more. So, we have to deploy better technology solutions that can create the kind of experience they want. We have to deliver that wow factor.”