Michael Wright
Also recorded as Alec Michael John Wright
Michael Wright

BEVERLYSHEN · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Michael Wright
- Born
- 19 September 1912
- Birthplace
- Hong Kong
- Died
- 26 January 2018
- Place of death
- London, England
- Spouse
- Ethel Surtees
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- architect
- Education
- Brentwood School
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q9061016
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• Name — Michael Wright • Honorific Suffix — CMG, RIBA, FRICS • Born — 19 September 1912 • Birthplace — Hong Kong • Died — 26 January 2018 • Place of death — London, England • Parents — Arthur Edgar Wright (1880–1949) Margery Hepworth Chapman (1888–1973) • Relations — Sir Denis Wright (brother, 1911–2005) • Alma Mater — Brentwood School • Spouse — Ethel Surtees • Office1 — Hong Kong Commissioner in London • Term Start1 — 1969 • Term End1 — 1973 • Predecessor1 — Patrick Cardinall Mason Sedgwick • Successor1 — Samuel Tedford Kidd • Office2 — Director of Public Works • Term Start2 — 1963 • Term End2 — 1969 • Predecessor2 — Allan Inglis • Successor2 — James Jeavons Robson • Office3 — President of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects • Term Start3 — 1958 • Term End3 — 1959 • Predecessor3 — Su Gin Djih • Successor3 — Harold Graham Fector Robinson
Key facts
Key facts
• T — 鄔勵德 • S — 邬励德 • P — Wū Lìdé • J — wu1 lai6 dak1 • Y — Wū Laihdāk Alec Michael John Wright, CMG (鄔勵德; 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. He was also an official member of the Legislative Council and Urban Council. 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.
Biography
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. 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, in which his design became known as the "Wright Principle". He was also founding member and president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects 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 Urban Council. 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 in Tai Hang, built in 1975 and 1976, was named after Wright's Chinese name. He resided in Knightsbridge, London after his retirement. He commented on Hong Kong affairs occasionally, including the proposed demolition of the Government Hill in 2012. Wright died in January 2018 at the age of 105.
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This entry is compiled from 13 catalogued sources across 9 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Internet Archive, Wikidata, Wikipedia, DOAJ, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Cleveland Museum of Art and Wellcome Collection. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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