2021_ARCH2058_Guidebook_Colonisation_Colonial Architecture in Central by ARCH2058

COLONISATION: COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN

CENTRAL

中環 ARCH2058 Modern Architecture ASSIGNMENT 3: GUIDEBOOK

| Fall 2021

Colonisation: Colonial Architecture in Central Jeff Li 3035741952 Joseph Wong 303579277 Eunice Mak 3035796517

TOUR BRIEF

For this tour, we are going to gather at the J1 exit of Central MTR station, and go to our first site which is the Court of Final Appeal. Afterwards, we will walk to Tai Kwun and finally to Dr Sun Yat Sen Museum. These 3 sites are full of colonial features, buildings within the sites were built after British’s colonization, therefore the materials and designs used were similar and in a specific way. By going to these sites, we would like you(?) to look at colonization in Hong Kong in a material perspective, to think about the balance of conservation and modernization.

1 COURT OF FINAL APPEAL Known as the Old Supreme Court building, the Court of Final Appeal Building was designed by Aston Webb and E. Ingress Bell in 1899, architects in who were also in charge of designing the southern part of Buckingham Palace. The building was opened in 1912 for the Supreme Court, but was later repurposed by the Japanese as headquarters for the military police. After the Japanese Occupation, the building functioned as the Supreme Court again until 1980 when it was allocated to the Hong Kong Legislative Council. The building serves as the Court of Final Appeal to this day. Mostly made out of granite and constructed in a Neo-classical architectural style, the building is guarded by a 2.7 m high statue of “Lady Justice” which symbolises justice, impartiality and power. In 1984, the exterior of the Building was declared a monument, protected legally under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

2 TAI KWUN Tai Kwun, which means “big station” in Chinese, is the colloquial name used by Hong Kong people to refer to the former police headquarters and the surrounding compound. The name has been adopted to honor the historical significance of this living heritage site. Since the erection of its first structure in the 1840s, the site has been an essential element of the local environment. A living record of Hong Kong’s legal, judicial, and criminal systems occupies a vast patch of ground in the heart of Central’s SoHo neighborhood. It has long served as a symbol of law and order to the local community, is located in the heart of Hong Kong, and serves as a continual visual reminder of the colony’s police presence2. The property has grown from a single house to the 20 or so structures that exist now, initially serving as the Magistrate’s residence and offices, then as a Magistracy and Prison, and finally as the much bigger Victoria Gaol and nearby Central Police Station. It was placed next to the modern JC Contemporary and JC Cube, both designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the recipient of the Award of Excellence in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2019.

3 KOM TONG HALL Kom Tong Hall, located in Hong Kong’s Central district (7 Castle Road), was built in 1914. It was the home of Ho Kom Tong, the younger brother of rich entrepreneur Sir Robert Ho Tung. In 1960, the family sold the building to the Chang family, who later sold it to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building was passed over to the government in 2004 and refurbished into the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum in 2006. Following the Hong Kong Museum of History’s preparation work, the museum opened on 12th December 2006, to commemorate the influential Chinese statesman’s 140th birthday, and was certified a monument in 2010. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China, spent a significant amount of time in Hong Kong, where he acquired his secondary and university education and developed many of his revolutionary ideas and plans. The Dr. Sun Yatsen Museum offers an overview of his life and work, as well as Hong Kong’s involvement in reform movements and revolutionary activities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

IMPACTS OF COLONIALISM: A MATERIAL PERSPECTIVE Jeff Ze Fu, Li

Erected during the colonial period and still standing today, the Court of Final Appeal Building (CFAB) is one of the most iconic works of colonial architecture. The building, embodying a British identity but placed in the alien context of Hong Kong, means interesting stories and tension could be found underneath its innocuous, stony facade. In this essay, by looking at the particular construction materials of the CFAB, a critical examination of British colonialism’s impact on Hong Kong will be conducted. The two main materials under focus would be concrete and steel, which are the major constituents of the most prominent feature of the building: the dome at the top which stands on a circular drum. The dome, which is made with pre-cast concrete tiles, contrasts the majority of the structure that is

made out of granite . The use of concrete is an interesting feature, as its versatility and durability enables the complex formation of the curved dome. Further, it is supported with steelwork structures from the inside, a material that possesses immense structural strength but also flexibility in design. From a close study of the history of these two materials, we can understand the positive and negative impacts brought forth from British colonisation.

Pros

Concrete

Improved construction technology The British introduced and popularised concrete as a strong and economic building material, thereby playing a role in influencing the modernisation of the conventional brick-and-mortar building paradigm of Hong Kong. Concrete is very durable, in the sense that it can withstand weathering and chemical intrusion without sustaining signifi-

cant levels of deterioration . Such a material aided in improving Hong Kong’s building efficiency, while minimising safety hazards due to building deterioration. Industrial development and increased employment opportunities The introduction of British cement into Hong Kong led to the rapid development of the industry and consequently employment opportunities. Cement, known as “Ying Ni” in Chinese, got its name from being imported from Britain. The first cement factory/company was established in 1887, known as Green Island Cement Company Limited, which retains a prominent position in the cement industry to this day. A more developed and spacious subsidiary factory was opened in 1899 in Hok Yuen, located in Kowloon in close proximity to the harbor. The Green Island Cement Co.’s early establishment symbolises a dramatic shift in the construction industry of Hong Kong, with concrete playing an increasingly important role in the

formation of buildings, as evidenced by the government buildings of that time utilising concrete to construct their floors and beams. The rise of an industry naturally creates vast opportunities for employment. Hence, it can be said that concrete had contributed to the modernisation and expansion of Hong Kong’s economy. Further economic benefits along the supply chain The manufacturing of concrete requires an abundance of raw material, namely limestone and clay. Supply chains were therefore established, as limestone was supplied from Canton while clay was obtained directly from local soil. The immense output of cement, amounting to nearly 8000 tonnes/month (in 1904) , meant these supply chains had to be kept constant, which forms a desirably stable source of labor opportunities and economic output.

Quality production and globalisation The popularisation of concrete and subsequent establishment of cement manufacturers such as Green Island also played a part in the globalisation of Hong Kong. For instance, Green Island’s cement gradually met and exceeded the quality standards of that produced in Britain. Consequently, not only was the cement used locally, but was also exported to Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore. In 1931, with the implementation of new technologies for producing concrete, Green Island was internationally accredited as a factory being “most modern <...> of its kind in the world”, thereby establishing Hong Kong as a leading producer of this modern material . Development of building ordinances The introduction and gradual popularisation of concrete in building materials during British colonisation motivated the government to develop and improve Hong Kong’s

building ordinances and regulations. For instance, the Public Health Ordinance in 1887 demonstrated the initial recognition of concrete as a “durable and impervious <...> bed material” for floors, even becoming a requirement for basement floors. The ordinance was further developed into the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance in 1903, in which types of concrete were differentiated and even further categorised in mix ratios (that of cement:sand:stone). Functions and properties of different categories of concrete were better understood, and regulated to be applied for various purposes. It was then further split in 1935 into two ordinances emphasizing public health protection and building requirements, such as requirements of authorisation of an architect and stress assessment criteria. Henceforth, this evidence shows how the colonial introduction of concrete contributed greatly to the improvement of Hong Kong’s regulations of building integrity and therefore safety of its occupants.

Steelworks

Industrial development and establishment of economic systems (trade unions) Prior to British colonisation, Hong Kong lacked the resources and incentives to develop heavy industries. For instance, over half of materials needed for constructing steel bars were imported from other countries . Iron balustrades and pre-cast structures had to be imported as well. The period of modernisation brought by the British and the consequent influx of demand for steel production substantially increased local business opportunities in the heavy metal industry. The maturity of the industry is proven by the establishment of a trade union in 1930: “the Hong Kong Copper and Iron Merchants Association”. After WWI, steel-forging was firmly established as a local heavy industry, with factories being equipped with modern technology and occupying vast areas of space. Hong Kong was able to rapidly and locally produce its own iron, steel and similar semi-manufactured

materials for construction. Employment opportunities and economic benefit The modernisation and rapid development of the steel industry in Hong Kong started to attract businesses to set up factories in Hong Kong, to the benefit of its economy and employment of workers. For instance, Guangzhou-based metalworks company Chiaphua relocated to Hong Kong during WWII and expanded into 4 factories within 4 years . Employing 3000 employees and holding contracts worth 10-20 million Yuan, the company played an important role in rebuilding the houses and other construction work in Hong Kong.

Drawbacks Concrete

Unfair preference The manufacturing history of concrete in Hong Kong demonstrates one of the most

prevalent issues of British colonialism - unfairness, by giving “the colonisers” preference over the “colonised”. A decree was issued by the UK government, which states that “universal practice of all Colonial Governments was to give preference to the British when possible” . Therefore, even though Green Island Co.’s cement had manufacturing quality superior to that of the British, British cement (also known as Portland cement) was included in the material specifications of the majority of contracted proposals for public works. Specifically, British cement was included in 42 proposals, whereas local Green Island cement was only in 9 . Such unfair competition can be said as a partial reason to why a major factory of Green Island had to be closed down in 1936. As a result, we can see how the economic benefits of industrial development might be hampered by unfair economic practices by the British colonial government.

Steelworks

Pollution The British’s popularisation of the use of steel as a building material also reveals a serious negligence on the local environment and ecosystem. As the cooling processes in steel production needed generous amounts of sea-water, steel factories were usually located in close proximity to the seaside (for instance, metalworks companies such as Shiu Wing and Chiaphua were located in Tiu Keng Leng and To Kwa Wan respectively). Wastewater containing toxic and carcinogenic compounds were leaked back into the oceans, therefore harming the local marine ecosystem. Consequently, this brought adverse effects to public health and the economy alike, since yield quality and quantity of the fishing industry were seriously affected from the contamination. In addition, problems of air pollution, noise pollution and poor solid waste management occured in tandem without comprehensive solution and regulation , which contributed to a major social loss in the city. This illustrates

negligence and thus impacts of British colonisation-induced production on the environment of Hong Kong. In conclusion, by studying the material history of concrete and steel, it is evident that rapid modernisation as a result of colonialism resulted in benefits such as improved building technology, new economic opportunities and better legal structures for buildings in Hong Kong. However, such is not without downsides as local businesses were unfairly treated while serious environmental consequences arose from the production of these modern materials.

Notes

1. Landmark Hong Kong. Accessed December 07, 2021. https://www.landmark.hk/en/visit/around-central/oldsupreme-court-building. 2. HK Legislative Council Secretariat, 2002. INFORMATION NOTE: The Legislative Council Building. Hong Kong. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr02-03/english/sec/ library/0203in26e.pdf 3. Balfour, S. F. “HONG KONG BEFORE THE BRITISH: Being a Local History of the Region of Hong Kong and the New Territories before the British Occupation.” Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 10 (1970): 134–79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23881599. 4. Wu Yi Eunice. Concrete City: Conservation of Hong Kong’s Reinforced Concrete Buildings”. The University of Hong Kong. July, 2016. 5. “Chiaphua Industries Limited”. Accessed December 7. https://www.chiaphua.com.hk/about/history.html. 6. King, A. (2004). Spaces of global cultures: architecture urbanism identity. London: Routledge. 7. Shiu Wing Steel Mill EIA, n.d. - Executive Summary AXTl0651053000

COLONIALISM: INTENTIONS AND NARRATIVES IN MATERIALS

Joseph Jing Hymn, Wong

In this essay, various building materials of Tai Kwun would be utilised as a historical lens to understand their underlying colonial intentions and narratives. GRANITE A tall granite retaining wall, which is a distinctive element of the site, is a crucial feature of The Magistracy. It uses the granite retaining wall as a basement, giving the impression that the structure is perched above a massive cliff, thus reflecting the defensive character of the site3. Granite dominates the geology of HK, covering approximately 30% of the territory’s land area. The omnipresence of solid rock was seen as a natural asset to help the colonial operation, which was constrained by a

steep topography: The island of Hongkong is admirably shaped by nature to serve as an outpost of the British Empire, with a craggy range of tall granite hills rising nearly vertically out of the seas “The numerous good quarries along the island’s [north] shore were frequently mentioned by British visitors and residents. Hong Kong’s superb granite “provided a low-cost, easily accessible building material. The strong blue stones and grey granite are beautifully proportioned and suitable for a variety of architectural tasks.” In addition, Roberta Wue notes how pictures of stone buildings “became the icons of the new colony” in her book “Picturing Hong Kong”. The material proof of the ‘civilizing and enhancing impact of Britain’s presence in Hong Kong was Victoria’s towering Western-style structures, which were photographed for a European audience.” Built-in the 1840s, the evocative blocks of Wellington Battery (currently in Harcourt Garden), Head Quarter House (now known as Flagstaff House), and Murray House (transferred

to Stanley in the 2000s), all remain as testaments to the prominence of granite in Victorian Era’s architecture4. Skertchly highlights the relationship between geological creation and urban building by blurring the lines: The abundance of granite is impressive, indicating that this is a granite-rich region. It is because of this that Hong Kong has such a distinct personality. Victoria, Hong Kong’s capital, is imbued with the character of the granite from which it is constructed. This narrative aims to normalize the British presence once more. The Hong Kong miracle has long been lauded by colonists as a contrast to the nothingness of pre-colonial periods. The myth of the barren rock is a colonial lie that has been repeated for a century, reiterating Lord Palmerston’s classic words about Hong Kong, “a desolate island with nary a House upon it.” The various acknowledgments of precolonial history during the British administration, on the other hand, contradict this narrative. Quarrying has been

documented as a long-running activity in Hong Kong for hundreds of years, according to historians. In 1841, Captain Belcher identified an existing big quarry on the west side of Quarry Bay on the first British map, which appears to have inspired its name, which is still in use today4.

RED BRICKS The original Gaol building was the first edifice in Hong Kong to use British design and materials. Its courtyard-facing façade is significantly more modest in size, with only two floors, brick construction, and minimal architectural decoration. Brick and stone were new to the area, which had previously depended mostly on timber frames and matsheds3. The bulk of the older structures on the property are unmistakably colonial. The first

structures (the Barrack Block and the officers’ quarters on the northeast corner) were built with red brick in English Bond, demonstrating the city’s ongoing ties to the United Kingdom. Red brick structures are among the most striking of the colonial architecture that can still be found throughout the city. Before the handover of Hong Kong Island in 1841, the Chinese green brick was used extensively in local construction. In the years after the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, red bricks and the styles in which they were greatly favored came with colonization5. The demand for red brick was significantly linked to the consideration of the material’s quality throughout the contemporary age. Since the start of the nineteenth century, it has been commonly assumed that red bricks that resembled European bricks were or should be of superior quality than Chinese blue bricks, as evidenced by suitable archi-

tectural materials produced or published in English or Chinese6. For example, in the MaCartney Embassy to China from 17924, attachés like John Bar-row thought the Chinese blue brick was “ill-burned,” “halfburned” material (Barrow 1804: 63, 136, 206, 301). Both the British architect William Kidner (RIBA) of the 1866 Holy Trinity Church and the British engineer John William Hart (M. Inst. C. E.) of the 1881 Shanghai Waterworks project openly emphasized their need for certified red bricks in Shanghai. “Obtaining bricks of the requisite quality proved to be a major challenge” (Kidner 1867). “The bricks that may be found in Shanghai are of poor quality. Although they were particularly produced and extra burned, and that every effort was made to secure the best available in the area, they were far inferior to those used in England for comparable purposes” (Hart 1890: 223)6. In constructed evidence, red brick was frequently applied to higher forms with a connotation of dignity, or constructional load-bearing shapes like columns

and arches, according to my observation during the previous seven years, whereas blue brick was utilized in a comparably inferior fashion. Contemporary historians also attribute, or tend to attribute, the many applications of bricks to quality considerations6. Good characteristics, to say the least, justified and strengthened the preference for red, a distinctive form in Chinese architecture. BRICKS Many of the Victoria Gaol’s cell blocks were created in a manner comparable to those in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the lack of attention for heat and ventilation was evident: public works documentation from 1914 and 1928 indicated renovations to cells to enhance ventilation3. The gaol blocks are essentially utilitarian structures constructed for a specific function with no aim of spending more money than was absolutely necessary. They are inevitably

solid – prisoners have to be kept in. Despite a lack of consideration for the material’s effects on prisoners, since the raw ingredients for solid clay bricks are readily available, they are cost-effective. Tough, long-lasting, as well as being fire-resistant, clay bricks’ compressive strength is also appropriate for everyday building8. Most significantly, they are inexpensive to maintain and do not necessitate big, complex production facilities. STEEL The Magistracy was built with steel truss roofs, which would have been unusual at the time, and it was one of the colony’s first structures to employ the material. A similar structure was used three years later at the Central Police Station Headquarters7. Similar to Victoria Gaol, other 19th-century area jails had windows that couldn’t be opened properly due to a poorly constructed working steel arm, and cells were inade-

quately ventilated. Some prisoners said that in the summer, they shatter windows that can’t be opened to offer ventilation, and that prisons don’t always fix broken windows when a new tenant comes, even in the winter9. Broken or improvised windows were frequently found. Window fittings, which generally consisted of a piece of Perspex set up against the window frame, were a source of special worry. To keep chilly draughts out, convicts would occasionally cover broken windows with newspaper and magazines9. Furthermore, early misinterpretations of Chinese labor in the construction industry caused problems with proper tenders and job completion. ‘Almost all contracts hitherto entered into with Chinamen have been obliged to be finished by the government, for the works were taken at far too low an estimate, and the result was that when the parties discovered they would become losers, both contractor and security decamped, and in some instances, they were imprisoned,’

writes the Land Officer in 18447. In addition, metal locks were not made to what was considered a “acceptable quality,” so they were imported in from elsewhere. ‘The locks for cell doors are of the special type manufactured for such purposes and were obtained from England,’ according to a record for the construction of B Hall, and ‘the locks for cell doors are of the special type manufactured for such purposes and were obtained from England,’ according to another record for the construction of E Hall7.

Notes

1. The Jockey Club. “Our Story.” Tai Kwun, Dec, 2021. https://www.taikwun.hk/en/taikwun/story. 2. LUXE city guides. “Tai Kwun: Where Heritage and Art Take Flight: Hong Kong Tourism Board.” Discover Hong Kong.2021. https://www.discoverhongkong.com/ eng/explore/culture/tai-kwun-heritage-and-art.html. 3. Purcell Miller Tritton. “The Old Central Police Station and Victoria Prison Hong Kong: conservation management plan.” Purcell Miller Tritton LLP. June, 2008. 4. Maxime Decaudin. “Geological Discrimination.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 2019. 5. Anna Li. “8 Colonial Red Brick Buildings to See in Hong Kong.” Localiiz. April, 2021. https://www.localiiz. com/post/culture-history-colonial-red-brick-buildings-hong-kong. 6. Changxue Shu. “From The Blue to The Red: Changing technology in the Brick Industry of Modern Shanghai” 2014. 7. “Wu Yi Eunice. Concrete City: Conservation of Hong Kong’s Reinforced Concrete Buildings”. The University of Hong Kong. July, 2016. 8. Hemali PatelHemali Patel. “Difference between Clay Bricks vs Hollow Clay Bricks.” GharPedia, December 31, 2019. https://gharpedia.com/blog/difference-between-clay-bricks-and-hollow-clay-bricks/. 9. HM Inspectorate of Prisons. “Latest Reports.” HMI Prisons - Home. October, 2017. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/.

CONFLICT AND CONSERVATION IN COLONIAL BUILDINGS Eunice Cheuk Yan, Mak In the early days of Hong Kong, western-style buildings started to appear. Engineers and surveyors built barracks and houses in a quick and easy way based on the “Pattern Book” , which is compiled by the British government for the colonies. The manual contains a series of architectural designs, based on the classical revival houses of the Georgian period in England. The new designs make changes in response to the hot and humid climate in the subtropical region and add local crafts and materials. Buildings with these hybrid designs are referred to as “colonial architecture”. Colonial architecture in Hong Kong are often constructed with granite and bricks. The structure of the building is usually simple and practical. Before the advent of concrete and steel, natural materials like stone and wood were prevalent. According to Poon Sun-

wah, a professor in the Department of Real Estate and Construction of HKU, in the early 20th century, there were more than 100 large and small mines in Hong Kong, all were mainly producing granite. The population of Hong Kong Island at that time was about 7400, and it was estimated that nearly a quarter of them were engaged in quarrying or related work . Locations like Anderson Road in Kwun Tong, Diamond Hill, and Ma On Shan are famous for their quarries. The selection of building materials is influenced not only by aesthetic concerns but also by the amount of supply and the degree of technology at the time of construction. Materials of colonial architectures will be further investigated using Kom Tong Hall as an example. Kom Tong Hall was built in the Composite Classical style, this style is popular in Hong Kong during the Edwardian Colonial period . Externally, the walls are covered in red brick. The curved balcony is decorated with ceramic tiles and supported by Greek-style giant

pillars. There are granite dressings around all windows and doors and has an exquisite ironwork for the balcony railings. Internally, the building is richly decorated with classical architectural features in the Baroque and Rococo styles. A grand staircase with teak ornamental balustrading runs from the basement to the second floor. The main rooms’ ceilings are adorned with molded plaster panels highlighted with golden leaves. Colorful stainedglass windows with Art Nouveau patterns are all along the main stairway. Kom Tong Hall was one of the first buildings in Hong Kong to be built with a steel frame and concealed built-in electrical wiring and is also one of the few existing century-old buildings still standing in Hong Kong. After the government finalized the acquisition in 2004, work on converting the 92-year-old historic residence into a museum honoring Chinese revolutionary icon Dr. Sun Yat-sen began immediately. In the following part, several conflicts on the use of material during the conversion will be re-

vealed. Topics on the balance of modernizing a city and conservation will also be discussed. It has long been the habit of Hong Kong to “preserve” historical buildings by recreating their original layout and shape while paying less attention to conserving or reviving the original materials and techniques used during construction. For this project, conservators faced a significant problem in converting the ancient structure into a modern museum while preserving the building’s distinctive qualities. The first conflict is “whether restoring the gold part of metal balustrades along the verandas should simply use a golden paint, or by gold gilding”. In the beginning, all of the floral decorations on the balustrades were painted in black when the building was in the Government’s hands, but according to the Ho’s family, the part should be a brilliant gold color. The old black-and-white photographs also revealed a distinct color difference on the balustrades. At first, architects tended to achieve

the goal by using a golden paint that was much more straightforward and convenient to apply, while still being able to fulfill the objective of restoring the original form and outlook of Kom Tong Hall. However, the conservators think that repainting should not be done without first fully understanding what the original materials and techniques were, even if the gold paint might produce the desired effect . Gold paint and gold-gilding have a big difference. Gold-gilding is an ancient Egyptian technique that dates back to 2300 BC. It is to adhere gold leaf to the surface of a substrate. This process is still commonly used today. The sheen of gold, especially after burnishing, is much richer and brighter than that of regular painting. The shine and color produced by gilding can persist for years, while golden paint can only survive for months owing to the oxidation of copper particles in the paint emulsion . The bauhinia in Golden Bauhinia Square is an example of a gold gilding sculpture in Hong Kong.

To know the original material used, scrapings and cross-sections from the balustrades were examined more closely using an FEI Quanta 200 scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The result indicated an abundance of gold gilded in all of the samples gathered from the moldings at the ceiling or colonnades . These findings had resulted in adjustments to the original restoration plan, and both the architect and the curator decided to re-gild the affected parts following the guiding principle of not altering the historic state of the architectural heritage. The second conflict is “whether to repair or replace the stained-glass windows”. In Kom Tong Hall, there are 18 stained glass windows. Some composite glasses had cracked with losses in certain regions, the steel framework had rusted, and some of the lead cames had been broken or deformed. According to the current ASTM standard, the quantity

of silver and copper present in lead cames should be up to 0.02 percent w/w and at least 0.04 percent w/w for the cames to have a lifetime of more than one hundred years . The findings revealed that the silver and copper concentrations of the original lead cames were much below the acceptable amounts, which would be detrimental to the cames’ strength and stiffness. The architect wanted to replace the windows with replicas for the benefit of work convenience and public safety. Yet conservators think that the replacement windows composed of fresh lead cames and contemporary glassware would not have the same aesthetic quality as previous century works, and the additional replacement would result in the loss of significant evidence concerning the construction and fabrication technique of historic stained glass windows . It was finally agreed that the repair work would be performed by conservators instead of renovation contractors. The last conflict is “whether to repair the

stained-glass windows with traditional or modern materials and methods”. Originally, a glazing putty made of lime and tung oil extracted from the resins of the tung tree (vernicia fordii) was used to attach the stainedglass panels to the metal frame. Although putty is a traditional building material extensively used in China and has been used for glass installation for a long time, its performance and qualities have not been scientifically examined. Since the architects were concerned about the strength and durability of the glazing putty, they preferred silicone sealant to glue the stained glass panels to the frames. Besides the poor quality of the original, architects also doubted the unavailability of original materials and necessary craftsmanship, and violation of codes. However, conservators refute that throughout its long history of usage, glazing putty has shown to be a dependable substance, with no known failures related to poor quality or inferiority. The materials are still widely utilized in China’s building sector today. Source and skilled

workers are available for the application work. And the use of glazing putty not only does not violate any building safety codes [Chapter 123B Building (Construction) Regulations, the laws of Hong Kong, and the Practice Note for Authorised Person and Registered Structural Engineers (PNAP) 172 – Energy Efficiency of Buildings – Building (Energy Efficiency) Regulation.], but also is extremely resistant to acid and alkaline circumstances, and it does not discolor significantly with age . Having considered all the factors, the architects agreed with using traditional material for restoring, and the result of the treatment work was highly appreciated by all the parties . While modernizing our society by advancing our technologies and skills, it is also important to preserve history and culture. With the case of Kom Tong Hall, the team successfully modernized colonial architecture into a modern museum. By collaborating with different professionals, each of them brings up their expertise and together comes up with

the best solution through effective communication. It sets a good example and a high standard for the existing conservation practice. It shows us that we should not only preserve the layout and settings of the buildings, but also the original materials and traditional techniques. And it is possible to keep the modernity in local heritages. So that we can modernize a city with connotation, with our history and culture included. There is so much to investigate on the theme of materials. Focusing on a specific colonial architecture, Kom Tong Hall, brings interesting results to the research. Information on architectural designs, the history of Hong Kong, traditional materials and techniques, and the balance of modernization and conservation are being found, which brings a fruitful result to the research.

Notes 1.

Anthony Tin Kuen Chan, Chengshi dibiao : Zhimindi shidai de xishi jianzhu [City landmarks: Western-style buildings in the colonial era] (Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Book Company (Hong Kong) Limited, 2019), 261. Ho Yi Tong, “Beng shi zi ceng yang huo xianggang huagangyan kuang chang binlin zhongjie [“Stone Boy” once fed Hong Kong, the granite mine is on the verge of end],” MingPao, June 17, 2021, https://ol.mingpao. com/ldy/cultureleisure/culture/20210617/162386853 7078/%E3%80%8C%E6%8F%BC%E7%9F%B3%E4% BB%94%E3%80%8D%E6%9B%BE%E9%A4%8A%E6 %B4%BB%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-%E8%8A%B1%E5 %B4%97%E5%B2%A9%E7%A4%A6%E5%A0%B4%E7 %80%95%E8%87%A8%E7%B5%82%E7%B5%90. “Declared Monuments in Hong Kong – Hong Kong Island,” Declared Monuments in Hong Kong, Antiquities and Monuments Office, 23 September, 2020, https:// www.amo.gov.hk/en/monuments_98.php. Eddy S T Leung et al., “Bringing back the grandeur: conversion of Kom Tong Hall to Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum,” ICOM COMMITTEE FOR CONSERVATION, no. 2 (2008): 897-903. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ Conservation/documents/10118435/10118865/7_LeungEST_2008_3.pdf. Terry Drayman Weisser, Gilded metals: history, technology and conservation (London: Archetype Publications in association with the American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, 2000), 361, http://books.google.com/books?id=XAzcAAAAMAAJ.

10.

Eddy S T Leung et al., “Bringing back the grandeur: conversion of Kom Tong Hall to Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum,” ICOM COMMITTEE FOR CONSERVATION, no. 2 (2008): 897-903. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ Conservation/documents/10118435/10118865/7_LeungEST_2008_3.pdf. Talland, V H P and Mangum, B J. 1999. Stained glass conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: putting the pieces together. In N H Tennent. (ed). The conservation of Glass and Ceramics, London: James & James, 180–191. Eddy S T Leung et al., “Bringing back the grandeur: conversion of Kom Tong Hall to Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum,” ICOM COMMITTEE FOR CONSERVATION, no. 2 (2008): 897-903. https:// www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Conservation/documents/10118435/10118865/7_LeungEST_2008_3.pdf. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Conservation/ documents/10118435/10118865/7_LeungEST_2008_3. pdf Lauren B. Sickels-Taves, “ Lime and its place in the 21st century: Combining Tradition, Innovation, and Science in Building Preservation,” International Building Lime Symposium (April 2005): 14. https://limeworks.us/ wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LimeAssociation.pdf. “Tung oil,” Wikipedia, July 17, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_oil.

11. 12. Eddy S T Leung et al., “Bringing back the grandeur: conversion of Kom Tong Hall to Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum,” ICOM COMMITTEE FOR CONSERVATION, no. 2 (2008): 897-903. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/

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The Modern Architecture Guidebook Hong Kong’s built environment represents a unique site of inquiry in the global history of the Modern Movement. The Modern Architecture guidebook series draw from an inter-disciplinary toolkit of knowledge, references, and field studies to understand the processes at work in the built environment. Each walking tour in the series begins with one of the 98 MTR stations in Hong Kong as the meeting point. First opened in 1979, this modernist infrastructure has produced a city rationalized around transportoriented development. Organized around key themes (industrialization, colonization, environment, internationalization, migration, decolonization, counterculture, and globalization), the guidebooks present a critical yet open perspective towards the implications of large-scale modernist schemes on the environment and community.