Hong Kong’s incredible density and three-dimensional complexity is characterised by its towers. It is intensified, however, by a network of layers of circulation. There is no single street level but rather a lattice: pavements, bridges, escalators, stairs, covered walkways and air-conditioned sky-bridges. While wandering through the city, you might find yourself in a corporate lobby or sharing a glazed bridge with office workers, sharp-suited lawyers or lounging nannies, picnicking on their day off in ingeniously constructed cardboard shelters.
You’ll also find a tightly focused collection of some of the finest towers and skyscrapers in Asia, or indeed anywhere. The city districts of Central and Admiralty have become a kind of museum of architecture, a wonderful tracking of trends and technology over the past 75 years or so. There is not much left from earlier periods — with the exception of the occasional sculptural lion, cannon or war memorial — but that does not limit its range of expression.
You can cover this display of architecture easily and freely. The myriad walkways are not always easily navigable, but they lend themselves to a leisurely, compact architecture walking tour, which, if you can find your way around, involves barely any walking at all.