Buildings Recycled, City Refurbished

Author(s): Ben Ho-Sing Poon

Source: Journal of Architectural Education (1984-), Vol. 54, No. 3 (Feb., 2001), pp. 191-194
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Association of Collegiate Schools of
Architecture, Inc.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1425586
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Education (1984-)

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Buildings Recycled Cicy Refilrbish

BEN HO_SING POON, Chinese University of Hong Kong

The treatment of buildings as mere structural en-

closures for physical shelter contributes to the
ease and frequency in which they are demolished - - - u s --Hh) t -- L w-- a
to make way for new development in Hong Kong. - r- q- ^ M ; F

Often overlooked is how such development occurs i.. _

=l r<---- C * _w

at the expense of existing buildings and, most im- :

portant, how it contributes to the disintegration of E

.S - ,
established social settings and community ties that
are unique to every site. The following project ex-
* ' :

plores an alternative approach in which buildings

are regarded as living objects that grow with a
community and respond to the needs of their users
and the areas they serve. Rather than destroying
what exists and beginning anew, the project envi-
sions one scenario for updating and adapting a
building in concert with its context.
L-:':- ':-::-----:---'- ^'- . .. .
1. A typical long H-shaped plan for a
Factories (RFF) Block.

THE PROJECT I PROPOSE IS A RESPONSE TO THE down and buildi

constantly changing architectural condi- looks the conside
tions in Hong Kong. According to the Citi- development on
zen Party of Hong Kong, a nonprofit group ther ignores the d
that has put much effort looking into local cial life and cult
and social issues, the average life span of a
. .

communltles.

typical building in this city is less than thirty The project (Re)Cycles of Buildings
years. The primary cause of this rapid turn- Systems of Adaptive Reuse and Transform
over is real estate speculation, which has led tion explores an alternative approach to th
to exceedingly high land values since the use of architectural, social, and material r
1980s. The economic argument for tearing sources of Hong Kong. It takes, as a test case

XsirY}r, '.

'a I !; S r-is A iv

i ..--

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4 si^ 8 t
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N { . . a t n - .
r . + #: w ^ + b _ * ., ., . - a * * .: . T; S:>

* L ffi-ffiffi-||||Itlt6* *

2. A closer look at the RFF block.

3. Overview of the RFF built by the Housing Authority located in Cheung Sha Wan.

JournalofArchitecturalEducation, pp. 191-194

(C) 2001 ACSA, Inc.

1 91 Poon

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4. Arrangement of the proposed new uses.

Kowloon's Resettlement Flatted Factories

vacant or are used only for storage (Figures
Block (Figure 1), built seeks a better utilization of the existing
2 and 3). by the Hong Kong
Housing Authority during the 1950s and and more sensitive protection of its
building
The building studied in the project is inhabitants.
1960s to relocate domestic industrial entre-
located in an urban district that is aging de-
preneurs living in squatter areas.' The con- The project proposes to restructure
mographically and architecturally, as well as
centration of squatters began after 1949, the Resettlement Flatted Factory Blocks
in its industrial activity. From the standpoint
when thousands of mainland Chinese resi-community facilities and interim hous-
into
of safety and hygiene, the facilities in these
dents flocked to Hong Kong after the estab- ing. By limiting modifications, conserving
factory blocks are deteriorating, with dirty different areas for reuse in the blocks, and
lishment of the People's Republic of China.
common toilets and exposed utility lines. adopting appropriate programs, the project
In December 1953, a large fire destroyed
Though these problems are serious, they can
hundreds of homes at Shek Kip Mei, prompt- to engage and respond to the life that
seeks
be remedied and do not, in themselves, make
ing the British colonial government to focus goes on in and around this building, thereby
a compelling reason for demolition. Accord-
more concerted attention on the problems of enhancing the connection between it and
ing to the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the community.
squatters. This, in turn, led to the building of
moreover, the buildings are structurally The new program consists of three
the flatted factory blocks, a building type that
sound, serviceable, and will remain on the
accommodated small-scale, family-run indus- parts (Figure 4). The ground floor would be
. . .. . . site for at least another five years. Finally, the
trla actlvltles Wlt. zln
reserved for gathering space and commu- t.
complex and its surroundings provide gather-
Four decades later, nity facilities
however,for the elderly in the district, t
ing space for the neighborhood's old people,
ture of industry in both of
Hong which are currently lacking
Kong in the
most of whom are retired, and are former or
from manual tO neighborhood. The top floor of the build- labo
mechanical
current occupants.
main production ing would serve as an optional
lines have relocation re
Nonetheless, the Hong Kong Hous-
r * . r t . .
space tor exlstl
mainland China after Deng Xiao
ing Authority has slated buildings of similar
nomic reforms in theportion late 1 would
970s.
type for demolition by 2004 to make way needs, such as th
even factory new premises have
for new housing blocks. This determination
occupancy rate, while commodations
older flattfo
fails to take into account the existing com-
blocks in Kowloon grants
have who con
fared ev
munity life and social value mentioned Kong from Chin
More than half of the latter eith
above. The counterproposal detailed below
for housing ins

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5. Inner court and cross-floor linkage are provided to enhance social interaction.

February 2001 JAE 54/3 1 92

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ties, exhibition spaces, and place for cul- 3. By using prefabricated parts and
tural activities the project hopes to offer unified components transported by ordi-
... . . . w . -

the new settlers better conditions for inte- nary means to the site (Figure 6), the time
| wq z

grating with the social and economic fabric ,7

of the city.
To meet these programmatic goals,
and to enrich the quality and adaptability of
the original building, the design developed
along the following lines:
1. By converting some existing unit
spaces into common space for a cluster of
units, the long and narrow corridors are
widened and connected. Intermediate con-
necting platforms and landscaping are
added to harmonize the two wings of the
building, to provide connections with the
open spaces at ground level, and to offer a
continuous visual experience for the users.
An enclosed inner courtyard offers transi-
tional space between private building areas
(Figure 5).
2. Retractable floors create a large
void space to introduce ventilation across
floors and to allow daylight to penetrate
deep into the interior. Together with the
clusters of common spaces mentioned
above, natural ventilation would provide an
energy-saving, healthy environment for a
wide range of uses, despite the structure's
location in a tightly confined industrial area.
t
lills;
_
*M4
8 .h
Na t +
s
;
needed to convert the building to a new use
is minimized. The Functional Unit System
is a key element in this respect. The latter is
i.. t.
. r -
a box unit that employs a simple principle
o . . of composition and a range of supporting
mechanisms to allow for multiple variations
ho./.* H in installation and use. The system involves
* f f
two movable parts: a rotating I-frame and
*. f ,,,
an axis supporting the frame. The vertical
6. Pref3b!c3tez1 pavs are tW be tr3Usp3ften member moves along the moving track of
3Tnd WIfted iewltll sl^.lple crarle arlci rlar3se33!&
rne3rlS 3f tfar.sp,vt3tnr.
the I-frame to give flexibility in spatial di-
mension. These elements move according
an ergonomic grid of 300-centimeter units
in plan, and 150- and 300-centimeter units
in section (Figure 7). Other moving mecha-
nisms and components are added to meet
specific functional requirements. The users
participate in assembling the Unit and
hence, their part of the space (Figures 8).
The project hypothesized here can
serve as a typical design scheme for Resettle-
ment Flatted Factories throughout Hong
Kong in Kowloon Bay, Chai Wan, and Jor-
dan Valley (Figure 9), and potentially for
other applications. As a speculative en-
deavor, its main goal was not necessarily to
achieve a fully realized building. My major

7. Assembling the Functional Unit System and its uses: (i) pivot core frame installed; (ii) components added; (iii) functions and interior space composed.

1 93 Poon

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8. User participating in assembling the interior space with

prefabricated components according to different daily needs.

concern, rather, was to signify the value of

the building's existence, and to explore its
potential for new uses. By showing concern
for existing buildings, I also hoped to elicit
a more positive response among owners and
users regarding their own care and conserva-
tion. This might help to counteract the dis-
posable culture of Hong Kong, wherein the
waste of resources has wrought severe con-
sequences on the built environment, the
. . . .

Clty, anc - ltS preclous memorles.

Notes

1. The term domestic industrial entrepreneurs

refers to an early mode of industrial practice in Hong
Kong, in which a household constitutes a small-scale
form of production.

9. Prototypical blocks of a similar nature can be found

throughout Hong Kong.

February 2001 JAE 54/3 1 94

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