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Two fresh graduates of the Master of Architecture Programme of the School of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have been selected to enter the Architectural Design Internship Programme (the Programme) established by The Wharf ArchDesign Resource Trust (the WART) of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, one of the major property developers in Hong Kong and China. 

Both graduates will undertake a 12-month internship starting January 2012 with their dream architectural firms in Switzerland that are at the innovative edge of architectural design. The WART will generously provide financial support covering airfares and living expenses up to HK$350,000 for each graduate intern. Established in 2011, the Programme is the first-of-its-kind providing rare opportunities for students to work for celebrated international firms overseas with full financial support. 

'2011 marks the 125^th anniversary of Wharf, with prime real estate our strategic focus, Wharf over the years has built a series of landmark properties in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, with a mission of "Building for Tomorrow"', said Ms. Doreen Lee, Executive Director of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited. 'The two students have certainly demonstrated their outstanding performance, passion and talent in architecture design. We hope that they will enrich their knowledge by learning from international architectural practices and urban design in foreign countries, and contribute to a better tomorrow in the architecture field and Hong Kong upon their return.' 

'We are deeply grateful for the generous support from the Wharf ArchDesign Resource Trust to set up the internship programme, which offers an excellent opportunity to further the education of our best students in actual design practices, and also as a way of cultural exchange between Hong Kong and overseas,' said Prof. Ho Puay-peng, Director, School of Architecture, CUHK. 

The Programme aims at fostering excellence in architecture and grooming future star architects by providing students with placement opportunities in internationally-renowned design firms. Such opportunities will broaden participating graduates' horizon and exposure to working alongside distinguished designers in an atelier setting, and allow them a hands-on understanding of architectural practice and urban design in foreign countries. At the end of the Programme, the graduates will be required to return to Hong Kong and contribute to architectural design in the territory with the experience learnt in the innovative architectural firms in Europe. 

'I wish to thank Wharf for this excellent initiative, which is the first-of-its-kind that we have heard of for university students in Hong Kong having internship opportunities in my country,' commented Mr. Erwin Luethi, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Switzerland. 'We at the Consulate are very pleased that the students have selected Swiss architecture firms for their internship. They have all our support.' 

The two winning graduates, Mr. Lau Hing Ching and Mr. Kenneth Wong Chi Kan, have both undergone a rigorous selection process. They are thankful to the Trust for providing them with the invaluable opportunity that will help tremendously in their career in architectural design. They will work in the architecture offices of Christian Kerez in Zurich and Herzog & de Meuron in Basel respectively. Christian Kerez is the designer of the School Oerlikon in Zurich and Museum for Contemporary Art in Warsaw; while masterpieces of Herzog & de Meuron include the National Stadium in Beijing and De Young Museum in San Francisco.