Hong Kong has long been on my list of places to visit (it’s a long list). Hong Kong has a population of 7.3 million. With a territory of 426 sq. miles, of which only 25% is developed, people live close together out of necessity.

Compare this to the United States which has a land mass of 2,959,064 square miles (disputed territories not included) and a total population of 313,979,000. On average we have .009 square miles per resident while Hong Kong in comparison has .oooo1.

I thought that I lived closely with other people in apartment buildings that had 50 odd residents but seeing these buildings turns my perspective on its head.

Photographer Michael Wolf was fascinated by these structures in Hong Kong, taking a series of photographs, The Architecture of Density, that highlight the symmetry in the design, the variety of color and sociological implications of living within a great mass. I can only imagine that being so thoroughly surrounded by fellow residents creates an indifference to the throngs one passes in the street. Trying to pay attention, absorb one’s surroundings, would be a sensory overload.

As structures, the lines and color variations in these photographs were immediately eye-catching to me. See many more images on the artist’s website, linked above.

- via Wall to Watch