Can you believe these are actually apartments? The stunning images of Hong Kong ‘living cubicles’ that look just like Borg cubes



Incredible shots offer a glimpse into the reality of living in one of the most densely populated areas of the world

Hong Kong is home to a population of seven million crammed into an area of just 424 square miles

Claustrophobic nature of Hong Kong high-rises captured by German photographer Michael Wolf




These mind-boggling images capture the scale of soaring apartment blocks in one of the world's most densely populated areas; Hong Kong.

As home to a population of more than seven million crammed into an area measuring just 424 square miles, space in Hong Kong is at a premium.

It means that, when it comes to providing accommodation for Hong Kong's huge population, the only way to go is up.



Mind-boggling: Photographer Michael Wolf's incredible shots capture the extreme scale of skyscrapers in one of the world's most densely populated places; Hong Kong

The result is the soaring high-rise buildings captured to incredible effect by German photographer Michael Wolf in his project Architecture of Density.

The images reveal the densely packed apartments crammed into towering skyscrapers, with laundry spilling from barred windows and hanging over cramped balconies.

Earlier this year the Hong Kong-based Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) highlighted the plight of the city's most under-privileged people, increasing numbers of whom are being forced to live in almost inconceivably small spaces.

In districts including Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, and Kowloon City, families, elderly people and the unemployed are crammed into living quarters that are barely bigger than a toilet cubicle in some cases.



The combination of Hong Kong's huge population and sky-high rents - around HKD$90 (£8) per square foot a month - has led to a housing shortage that is affecting hundreds of thousands of the city's poorest people, SoCo said.



Close-quarters: Washing can be seen hanging from the seemingly countless balconies of this towering Hong Kong apartment block

City dwellers: Hong Kong is home to a population of more than seven million people, squeezed into an area measuring just 424 square miles

Scale: Michael Wolf's photographs make the number of living spaces piled one on top of the other in this Hong Kong skyscraper seem never-ending

Neighbours: Despite being one of the world's richest cities, the high cost of renting in Hong Kong means many of its residents are forced to set up home in incredibly cramped living spaces

Tableau: This giant patchwork is made up of individual shots of soaring tower blocks joined to form a giant tableau

Perspective: This photograph may appear baffling at first glance, but closer inspection reveals it is a shot of dozens of windows and balconies in another Hong Kong apartment block

Dilapidated: The photographer documents some less than idyllic living quarters in Hong Kong, where charities have highlighted the plight of underprivileged residents trying to afford a home in a place where space is at a premium

Hong Kong: Laundry hangs from the barred windows of this tower block, the walls of which are painted pastel pink

Claustrophobic: A close up view of cramped flats in a Hong Kong high rise, left, and right, a cluster of the densely populated city's many tower blocks



Pile them high: Hong Kong is one of the world's richest cities, but lurking beneath the prosperity is a housing problem affecting hundreds of thousands of its underprivileged residents

Construction: The photographer has documented more building work underway in Hong Kong as the city struggles to find space for its already cramped population

Grid: Seemingly endless windows and balconies in a another close-up of a Hong Kong apartment building

Architecture of Destiny: This image of a pink tower block soaring high into the skies above Hong Kong could almost be mistaken for a piece of abstract art

Night-life: Rent in Hong Kong costs around HKD$90 (£8) per square foot a month, and the waiting list for public housing is so long that urban slums have sprung up around the city

Over-population: These photographs of Hong Kong's apartment buildings appear to reflect a city bursting at the seams

Shoulder to shoulder: The thousands of residents of these Hong Kong apartment buildings go about their daily lives in extremely close proximity to their neighbours

Crowded: Earlier this year the Hong Kong-based Society for Community Organisation highlighted the plight of the city's poorest families, many of whom are forced to live in almost inconceivably small spaces

All lit up: The Society for Community Organisation was formed in 1971, as Hong Kong embarked upon a period of unprecedented economic boom



Prosperous: Charities in Hong Kong have warned of the growing divide between the area's rich elite and the increasing numbers living in poverty

Higgledy-piggledy: More cramped living quarters piled several stories high in this close-up shot of a high rise apartment building in Hong Kong

Inspiration: German photographer Michael Wolf documents the extreme nature of Hong Kong's urban developments in his series Architecture of Density



