MY 32M2 APARTMENT — A 30-YEAR TRANSFORMATION 我的32平方米私宅

by Gary Chang 

Architect Gary Chang has lived in the same 32 square metre apartment for over 30 years — since he was 14 years old. ‘My whole family — my parents, my three younger sisters, and me — used to live here. To make ends meet, my parents also rented out one of the rooms to an outsider, a woman in her late twenties. Then the room was rented to her younger brother. I vaguely recall our ‘room tenant’ stayed in our flat for around two years. Thereafter, the flat became home…for the six of us.’

Living in a tiny rented space with a large family was not uncommon in 1960s and 70s Hong Kong. Chang has not only developed a unique sensitivity towards small interior spaces and an interest in architectural design, but also finds endless fun, entertainment, and joie de vivre in his living environment. He now lives in and enjoys this 32sq m apartment by himself. The apartment has been through five different interior settings – in 1976, 1988, 1990, 1998 and 2007. More than a simple interior design story, this book illustrates the transformation of a living space and how people respond to different spatial settings.

In 2023, M+ Museum commissoned Gary Chang to create a 1:1 reproduction of his shape-shifting 32sq m 'Domesstic Transformer' home as part of its exhibition, "Hong Kong: Here and Beyond".