Alec Michael John Wright, CMG (; 19 September 1912 – 26 January 2018) was a chartered surveyor and Director of Public Works of Hong Kong. He was a longtime colonial civil servant and chief architect of the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

. He was also an official member of the Legislative Council and

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Servic ...

. He was responsible for many infrastructure and housing projects and advocated for private bathroom and kitchen in every unit of the housing estate which is known as the "Wright Principle". He was the founding member and president of the

Hong Kong Institute of Architects Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA, ) is a professional body for architects in Hong Kong with approximately 1500 full members, 300 associates members and graduate members.

Biography

Wright was born in Hong Kong on 19 September 1912 into a civil servant family. He was educated at the Brentwood School in the United Kingdom and became an architect. He joined the Hong Kong government in 1938 and began to work at the former Public Works Department. He was interned during the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce ...

. After the war, Wright became the chief architect of the Public Works Department and played an instrumental role in the massive effort to house the millions of refugees fleeing to Hong Kong from China. The first generation of public housing estates, built in haste, resembled army barracks, and had shared bathrooms. In 1952 he designed the first public rental housing estate with private bathrooms and kitchens, at Sheung Li Uk, for the

Hong Kong Housing Society The Hong Kong Housing Society or Housing Society for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong (the first being the Hong Kong Housing Authority). The Society housed around 130,000 residents as of 2020. The Housing Society ...

, in which his design became known as the "Wright Principle". He was also founding member and president of the

in 1958. In 1963, he became Director of Public Works in which he served until 1969. In this capacity, Wright was also an official member of the Legislative Council and

. In 1969, he was appointed Hong Kong Commissioner in London. He retired from the civil service in 1973. Hong Kong Housing Society's

Lai Tak Tsuen Lai Tak Tsuen () is a public housing estate at 2 – 38 Lai Tak Tsuen Road, Tai Hang, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Built in 1975, it is one of the first public housing developments in Hong Kong. It was the second self-funded rental project of th ...

Tai Hang Tai Hang () is an area southeast of Causeway Bay located in the mid-north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is home to many luxurious private apartments. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate profession ...

, built in 1975 and 1976, was named after Wright's Chinese name. He resided in

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

, London after his retirement. He commented on Hong Kong affairs occasionally, including the proposed demolition of the

Government Hill The Government Hill is a hill in Central, Hong Kong, bounded by upper section of Upper Albert Road on the south, Queen's Road Central north, Garden Road east, and Glenealy, west of Hong Kong Island. The hill has been the administrative ...

in 2012. Wright died in January 2018 at the age of 105.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Michael 1912 births 2018 deaths Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Government officials of Hong Kong Hong Kong architects Hong Kong surveyors Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong People educated at Brentwood School, Essex World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan Hong Kong people of British descent Hong Kong centenarians English centenarians Men centenarians Hong Kong emigrants to the United Kingdom