Szeto Wai CBE
司徒惠
(1913–1991)
Class of 1931 - Pioneer in Hong Kong’s Modern Urban Landscape
1931屆畢業 — 香港近代建築工程之父
Szeto Wai graduated from St. Paul’s College in 1931. Szeto was a pioneer in Hong Kong's modern urban landscape. He was a skilled architect and chartered engineer. Representative works include the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) campus (1963–69) and Statue Square (1966).
While at St. Paul’s, Szeto was president of the Boarders’ Union in 1930. He furthered his studies in Shanghai and Britain, qualifying as a chartered engineer. Returning to China in 1945, Szeto took part in surveying and planning a potential dam for the Three Gorges. He returned to Hong Kong in 1948 and founded his own firm, W. Szeto & Partners.
As exemplified on CUHK’s campus, Szeto’s output is characteristically modernist — with functional design, long, straight structures, and heavy use of concrete — while deftly accommodating Hong Kong’s mountainous terrain, thanks to his engineering background. Other works include the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Robert Black College, Kwun Lung Lau in Kennedy Town, the Kowloon Methodist Church, and Methodist College in King’s Park.
Another client of Szeto’s was his own alma mater. Working with principals Evan Stewart and Geoffrey Speak, Szeto was the architect behind the Campus Reconstruction Project. Completed throughout the 1960s, most of the buildings stand to this day.
In addition to his engineering and architectural legacies, Szeto also left a mark in politics. He once chaired the government transport advisory committee, sat on the HKU council, and on both the Legislative Council (1965–74) and the Executive Council (1972–76); he was appointed CBE in 1974.