John Montgomery's father runs an architectural practice in Dublin, as did his father before him. Fortunately for Montgomery, his parents never put pressure on him to join the family firm. Instead, they encouraged his interest in landscape architecture, an interest that has brought him from Bahrain to Barbados and which led to the establishment of his own design studio in Hong Kong.
After graduating from UCD, Montgomery headed to Edinburgh College of Art to pursue a master's in landscape architecture, a field which he felt offered greater scope for creativity than architecture.
Not to be confused with Diarmuid Gavin-style landscape gardening, he describes his discipline as drawing together the built and natural environments. “We study space, sometimes between buildings, sometimes in a more natural context, but always with a view to enhancing and enriching it for people and nature.”
His Edinburgh qualification led to a job with the London design company EDAW, which was involved in designing the Olympics master plan.
Montgomery learned a huge amount during his time there, working on a range of exotic projects such as Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, where EDAW master-planned several resorts and urban communities.
When the recession struck and projects slowed down in Europe, the London arm of the company began supporting busier offices in Asia, which had a huge workload.
This took Montgomery to China, where he worked with his colleague Mark Blackwell. "We found that we spent so much time over here it was probably better to move, so we upped sticks and went on an adventure."
In August of last year, Montgomery founded his own landscape design practice, Morphis, with Blackwell in Hong Kong.
“We realised the opportunity while we were based in Hong Kong and saw how the world has suddenly [become smaller] in terms of communicating,” he says. Another attraction was that Hong Kong serves as a hub for markets in southeast Asia, the Middle East and India.
Since starting up, Morphis has already landed several contracts across Asia. In January it scored a major coup, winning an international design competition for Kai Tak City, one of the most significant regeneration projects in Hong Kong.
“I think what’s amazing over here is the value that’s placed on our work. It is something maybe we take for granted ourselves in Ireland, where there’s such a wealth of open spaces.”
He points to places like Booterstown Strand, a favourite haunt when he was growing up, which has dog walkers at low tide, kite surfers at high tide and which used to host horse races. By contrast, cities like Hong Kong are extremely high density with very few open spaces, so the challenge for landscape architects such as Montgomery is to work within the context of the natural resources that are there to design spaces that will enhance people’s lives.
The success of a project, he says, can be judged by simply looking at how many people use the space.
English is the principal language of business in Hong Kong, but in other Asian markets, language can be a barrier. However, designers can communicate through graphics, drawings, visualisations and renders, which helps.
“It can be challenging sometimes not to be able to talk to someone and sell your idea directly,” he says. “It can be very difficult to sell an experience to a client when it’s getting translated.” The key is to simplify things right down and work closely with the translator to make sure the ideas are clear.
As for the business culture in Hong Kong, he says there is an amazing entrepreneurial spirit there. “People are willing to back you.”
The Irish diaspora has also been hugely helpful, particularly the Irish Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong.
“There’s always somebody here I can ask questions,” Montgomery adds. “That’s the great thing about Irish communities abroad. My wife is Australian and she’s amazed by the way Irish people always help one another. It’s true. It’s something you always hear, but to witness it first hand is pretty special.”
For anyone interested in working in his industry, he says there are plenty of opportunities, particularly if you are based in Hong Kong because it serves as a global hub. Also, he found setting up his practice extremely straightforward. “It’s very pro-business.”
So what does the future hold for Morphis?
For now, Montgomery says, they have three to four part- and full-time staff, but as they gain confidence, they will bring on a more permanent team. “At the moment we’re chasing the market and responding to its needs and finding out where they will be in the coming months and years. “We aim to have a team of 35 by the end of year three.”
Morphis is confident it can achieve that, based on the contracts it has signed so far across Hong Kong, China and India. In the longer term, Montgomery says they are keen to extend operations.
With their first child on the way this year, the call of home is getting stronger. “Our ambition is to grow the business to the point where we can get home.”
