The Hong Kong Institute of Architects is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Ar. Chan Wing-Kai Aaron (陳永佳), a highly respected member of the Institute and a dedicated contributor to the architectural profession. Having joined the Institute in 1999, Aaron combined professional rigour with generosity in sharing his knowledge, a strong commitment to public service, and a sustained dedication to advancing architectural practice in an evolving technological landscape.

Aaron devoted over 30 years of his professional career to P&T Architects and Engineers Limited, latterly serving as an Architectural Director. His colleagues remember him as a dependable and accomplished professional who was widely respected within the practice and across the industry. Over the course of his career, he contributed to numerous significant projects across a broad range of building types, including educational, institutional and sports facilities, many of which received HKIA awards and other professional recognitions.

Alongside his architectural practice, Aaron was an early advocate of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and integrated digital delivery. Since 2012, he helped introduce model-based workflows into live architectural projects and contributed to the development of his firm’s approaches to digital design, coordination and documentation. His contribution to this field then extended well beyond his own practice. From 2017 onwards, Aaron took on leading roles in HKIA committees concerned with digital practice and sustainability. He served, in different years, as Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the BIM and Smart City Committee, a predecessor of the present Digital Sustainability Committee. Through these roles, he helped the Institute respond to the growing importance of information-rich, collaborative and digitally enabled approaches to architectural practice.

Aaron also made an important contribution to the Institute’s professional accreditation and training framework for digital practice. In 2019, he helped establish the HKIA BIM Pro and BIM Co Accreditation Programme and subsequently served as an assessor. He also shared his practical knowledge as a trainer for the HKIA BIM Pro Top-up Training Programme, including on the topic of “BIM Software Interoperability and openBIM Workflow”. Through these roles, Aaron generously shared his experience and helped strengthen professional competency, interoperability and good practice among architects and other practitioners working in the digital environment.

Aaron’s contribution also extended to the wider construction industry. At the Construction Industry Council, he served on the assessment panel for BIM Manager certification and training-course accreditation from 2019. In 2022, he became a member of the committee overseeing information modelling and construction digitalization, and in 2023 he assumed the chairmanship of the task force on standards. His dedication supported the development of professional competency, common standards and more integrated digital processes across the industry.

His commitment to public service was equally notable. Aaron contributed his professional expertise to committees established by the HKSAR Government, including serving as a non-official member of the Common Spatial Data Advisory Committee, a member of the Project Steering Committee for the Lands Department’s 3D Digital Map Project, and a member of the Aviation Development and Three-runway System Advisory Committee. Through these appointments, he brought the perspective and expertise of the architectural profession to the development of spatial data, digital mapping, smart-city infrastructure and major public initiatives in Hong Kong.

Aaron was also a member of the first cohort of the Department of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, now the School of Architecture. From those pioneering beginnings, he went on to devote his career first and foremost to architecture, while also helping younger fellow alumni and practitioners move towards increasingly integrated, collaborative and digitally enabled ways of working.

Aaron’s passing is a profound loss to his family and friends, his colleagues, and the architectural and construction community of Hong Kong. He will be remembered not only for the projects he helped realise, but also for his generosity in sharing knowledge, his commitment to service, and his quiet yet determined efforts to advance the profession. The professional standards he upheld, together with the many colleagues and practitioners whom he supported throughout his career, form an enduring part of his legacy.

The memorial service for Aaron will be held at Universal Funeral Parlour, 1st Floor, King Yeung Hall, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 15 October 2026. The funeral procession will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, 16 October 2026, after which the casket will be conveyed to Cape Collinson Crematorium for the cremation service. The family respectfully declines floral tributes and deeply appreciates the kind thoughts and support of all who remember Aaron.

The Hong Kong Institute of Architects extends its deepest condolences to Aaron's family, colleagues, friends and all those whose lives he touched. His contributions to the Institute, to the advancement of architectural and digital practice, and to the built environment of Hong Kong will be remembered with gratitude, respect and affection.

May he rest in peace.

President Julia Lau and Council
The Hong Kong Institute of Architects