The Palmer and Turner (P&T Group) Collection is composed of visual and textual material related to over 500 design projects proposed, designed, and/or completed by the P&T Group, one of the oldest continuously operating architectural practices in the world. The collection includes more than 15,000 individual documents and objects, primarily architectural drawings, dated between 1932 and 2012, for individual architectural and urban planning projects in Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other records include contracts and legal documents.
The P&T Group’s origins may be traced back to the architectural practice of the Australian architect William Salway, which was founded in Hong Kong in 1868. Over the course of the late nineteenth century, the firm grew to become one of the most prominent design offices in the British colony, and by the early twentieth century, it had established offices throughout East and Southeast Asia, including Shanghai and British-controlled Johor Bahru, Malaya, Burma, and India. After World War II, the firm reconstituted its practice to concentrate on Hong Kong, becoming one of the colony’s best-known, most prolific firms. Beginning in the early 1980s, the firm also pursued international expansion, and it currently employees over 1,600 staff in offices located in Hong Kong, Dubai, Wuhan, Abu Dhabi, Ho Chi Min City, Chongqing and Shenzhen.
The University of Hong Kong Libraries is grateful to the P&T Group for its generous donation of architectural drawings and business records.