INDUSTRIALIZATION:
KWUN TONG
觀塘
ARCH2058 Modern Architecture
ASSIGNMENT 3: GUIDEBOOK
| Fall 2021
Industrialization: Industrial Areas in Kwun Tong Guo Yue (3035635610) Liao Tianyao (3035635634) Zhuang Shun Ying (3035702827)
Industrial Buildings of Different Eras During the site walk near MTR Kwun Tong Station, a series of buildings were visited in the chronical order of the architecture. First is the Crocodile Centre, which is a renovated industrial building established in 2009. Next is Lankmark East. It is a new building with glass curtain wall, which is a contemporary form of industrial buildings. The Camel Paint building is the next location. Having a set of three buildings in total, it is a typical form of the industrial buildings in Kwun Tong area, but its orange color gives it a unique characteristic. The last is the Kowloon Flour Mills near the sea. Being the oldest and largest flour mills in Kwun Tong, it has witnessed the development of industry in Hong Kong. In Conclusion, these four buildings make up different forms of industrial architecture development.
1 CROCODILE CENTRE
Crocodile Centre, located at 79th Hoi Yuen Road, combines a 9-story shopping mall and a 13-story office building. The predecessor of Crocodile Centre was the Crocodile Garment Building, which was first built in 1953 and expanded in 1971. The industrial building was demolished in 2006, and Crocodile Garment and Lai Sun Group redeveloped the site together to convert the building from industrial to commercial use. Palmer & Turner Group, a famous design firm with a long history and has conducted many redevelopment projects in Hong Kong, designed the new building for this redevelopment project. Inaugurated in 2009, Crocodile Centre became the new name of the building, indicating that this is no longer an industrial building for the garments industry. The new Crocodile Centre has Low-E insulated glass facades to filter sunlight into the interior. The curtain walls are also equipped with LED lights to emphasize the building’s outline.
2 LANDMARK EAST
Landmark East is an office building project located at 100th to 102nd How Ming Street. Initially, there was a negligible bleaching and dyeing factory here, but it was demolished early. Vanke Property Overseas Limited bought the vacant land and invited Arquitectonica to conduct the office building project in 2005. Arquitectonica designed the structure using floor plates of different sizes in two towers, providing maximum flexibility for leasing. The construction of Landmark East began before the height restriction. Therefore, after completion, the towers stand out in the district, full of conventional industrial buildings since the last century. Landmark East forms strong contrasts with its context by its height and its glittering modern glass facade and exposed steel frames.
3 Camel Paint Building Camel Paint Building Block 3 was built in 1989. In the 20th Century, the original 12-storeyed paint manufactory transformed into a paint warehouse. The building has the typical feature of a traditional industrial system - minimal surface decoration, flat roof, and clean plans. Thanks to the industrial building revitalisation policy in 2010, the Camel Paint building finds its way out of being abandoned. While retaining the original floor plan of the industrial structure, it is now a multi-block outlet shopping complex, housing dozens of garments, furniture, food outlets. There are also new niche shops, retailers and restaurants located on the lower floors of the building. Camel Paint Buildings have three blocks, with Block 3 being the most well-known one.
4 THE KOWLOON FLOUR MILLS Constructed in 1966 by a Thai Chinese businessman called Lin Kuo-chiang, the Kowloon Flour Mills is one of the oldest flour mills in Hong Kong. More importantly, it is the only one that is still under operation at present. This nine-storey building is divided into two parts. The right part is the mills. A pipe fixed in a truss can suck the wheat directly from the ships docked in the harbour (the harbour has been reclaimed now). After that, the wheat is grinded by machines floor to floor in the mills. Eventually, the flour produced by the mills is stored in the left part of the building, which are several giant silos. With the name of the mills written on it, the silos of the Kowloon Flour Mills has been the monument of the industralization in Kwun Tong area and even in Hong Kong.
Retrospect: paradigm shift of industrial buildings in Kwun Tong Shun Ying, Zhuang
Introduction Throwing back to history, developing into the industrial zone was the first stage of the revitalisation of Kwun Tong district. Before the 17th Century, Kwun Tung was one of the four biggest salt-beds in Dongguan Province. It became a waste dumping area after the disappearance of the salt industry. After 2000, most industrialists in Hong Kong moved to Mainland China because of the bigger labour market and lower labour costs. Now, Kwun Tong is undergoing its second revitalisation phase, seeking its way out to become the commercial and cultural heart of Hong Kong in the new generation.
This essay focused on the history of industrial vicissitude in Kwun Tong and the evolution of industrial building that reflects the different stages of the development of modernism. By presenting the unique Kwun Tong industrialisation story, this paper aims to evoke cultural memories of the industrial era and demonstrate the significance of preserving and revitalising historic industrial heritage. Initial Stage and Single Functional Industrial Building After officially being planned as an industrial zone in 1954, Kwun Tong industrial development experienced four stages - developing, heyday, transformation, and revitalisation [1]. The advantaged seaside location of Kwun Tong contributed to the thriving industrial development in the 20th Century. To cope with the ongoing land demand, the government announced three-phrased reclamation from 1954 to 1962. The first batch of industries is mainly cotton mill, plastic, electrical and thermal flask[2].
At this initial stage, the factory buildings are built for a specific production line[3]. These industrial buildings can be regarded as the rudiments of modern architecture of functionalism. They represented the idea of ‘form follows function’, pointed out by Louis Sullivan – the operation needs dominants the discipline of space organisation and space scale[4]. In the first phase of development, most industrial buildings had a typical L-shaped form to better cooperate with land deviation.However, most of the old buildings are taken down or reconstructed. The reasons are multifold, with safety concerns and a lack of a well-thought grading system of the historic building being the prominent ones. Prime Stage and Modernist Industrial Architecture Starting from the 1960s, the textile industry thrived in this area. A boom in industrial development emerged in the following. The clothing industry, electronics and watch & clock industry dominated the market one
after the other in the 1970s and 1980s, followed by plastic and toys and industrial machinery[5]. According to the government statistics, during this period, the number of factories in Kwun Tong grew dramatically from 100 to 7000. The number of workers also showed an explosive growth of 13 times, reaching 200,000 in 1985[6]. As a sequence, the characteristic of the factory shifted from a simple manufacture-oriented building to a complex industrial building equipped with new facilities and living zones for a better working environment. Consequently, Kwun Tong Industrial buildings nurtured their vernacular industrial characteristics - the back alleys, factory canteen, 10-foot ground-level setbacks and 15-foot headroom[7]. Inn this perio, thee flatted industrial buildings expanded rapidly in Kwun Tong Industrial District. The low-cost construction without redundant decoration and laborious abstraction details fully spoke for the dominating functionalist architecture. New materials, re-
inforced concrete contributed to the mega framework that satisfied the industrial needs. These flatted factories can be divided into various categories according to distinct forms. Different industrial buildings with unique functions were built in different building typologies. In addition to the L-shape mentioned above, there are six more typical industrial buildings in Kwun Tong industrial district – Simple Extrusion, Staggered Tower, Podium Tower, Machine as building, and Gallery Block[8]. As mentioned in the previous session, although most L-shaped factories built before the 1950s were taken down due to safety concerns, Kwun Tong Industrial Centre and Hoi Luen Industrial Centre can be regarded as subsequent references to study the disappeared precedents. Together with other industrial buildings in the same period, the two Industrial buildings illustrate the utilitarian attributes of the Kwun Tung industrial area. However, they were designed for different industries and functions, their similarity in the brutal façade and functional design principle
constructed to the coherence of urban context. It is worth mentioning that different from those with the quadrate forms, a few prominent examples – KMB Kwun Tong Depot and Kowloon Flour Mills – indicate the development of the industrial buildings and their modernist characteristics. They belong to the Machine as Building, referring to ‘buildings designed for specific working procedure’ [9]. The aesthetic character of mechanist architecture emerges as a part of the design process. Take KMB Kwun Tong Depot to illustrate, the design followed the bus maintenance process. Ten buses could be tanked up simultaneously at the six dispensing pumps at the depot gate. After that, the maintenance of buses happened at one of 60 service parking spaces and 30 pits, which equipped with various equipment, such as chassis cleaner, lift platforms and brake tests. These were designed on the ground floor considering every three-week inspection and every-four-month repairs frequency. The second floor was a tyre refurbishment factory. It was expanded to fulfil the increasing need
forfor tyre refurbishment, becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most advanced bus manufacturers [10]. The architecture design for single usage is vastly different from the prevailing industrial buildings and warehouses. They witnessed the development and expansion of modernist architecture in Hong Kong. Unlike the early factories, more industrial architecture in this stage has not been demolished out of the stagnation of industrialism closely subsequent to the thriving period. However, except for some still in use, most of them were abandoned or underused before the new package of revitalisation measures was released. Transformation Stage and Forward Outlet of Complex Industrial Heritage Enormous changes in the development of industry in Kwun Tong came up with opening the Mainland market in 1979. Compared to the growing tertiary economic sector, rising labour costs, increasing land costs, together with descending human resources and weak-
ening competitiveness in Hong Kong, plentiful industrialists decided to move the factories to Mainland China, converting the original buildings to headquarters or temporal warehouses[11]. As a sequence, the industrial sector began to lose its dominant role in Kwun Tong Development[12]. With the emergence of vacant industrial buildings, the non-manufacturing sectors started to pour into the district. They reinvigorated the utilisation of the area. On the other hand, the newly established industrial firm needed a larger office area than the manufacturing area [13]. The traditional factory design is not suitable for the new complex industrial–office development. To adapt to the urban changes, the industrial proprietors sought the new identity of the district and a new type of architecture that mixed up general commercial uses and industrial features[14]. One of the solutions to meet commercial requirements in industrial districts requires establishing new complex industrial-office buildings. The idea was popular with the developers and new industrial companies[15].
Some complex I-O buildings, such as Yen Sheng Centre, symbolised the trial of I-O building in Kwun Tong districts[16]. However, given the saturation of land utilisation and a large amount of empty industrial properties, establishment and re-establishment failed to stimulate the development in a short period but was driving the loss of industrial heritage. An alternative and acknowledged measure are to rehabilitate the traditional buildings. Since the de-industrialisation era began, preservation and valorisation have become a mainstream treatment to the industrial heritage in Europe and later extended to North America[17]. Hong Kong, in comparison, followed a laissez-faire policy until the near-decade. Most abandoned buildings are transformed into a warehouse automatically, while only a few have a considerable public acceptance[18]. Camel Paint Building is one of the few examples. It houses various outlets and restaurants, being one of the famous tourist attractions featured with local characters[19]. It was viewed as a successful
rehabilitation precedent because the new usage brought a brand-new meaning to the traditional industrial framework. Also, it unintendedly illustrates that the modernised architecture framework against the backdrop of industrialisation promises the adaptiveness and flexibility facing the changing future. However, even if the Urban Renewal Authority announced the Kwun Tong Centre Redevelopment Project in 2007, the revitalisation and redevelopment of the Kwun Tong Industry Zone remained disputable. As stated by the government, the identity of Kwun Tong is transforming from an industry-centred town to a complex commercial-industrial-art hub[20]. In the newly re-established programme, like the Landmark East, Crocodile Centre, and Millennium City – original KMB Kwun Tong Deport, the traces of unique Hong Kong history started to be erased. The lack of dated studies into evaluating existing policy is a widely perceived problem[21]. How does the government better appreciate the industrial identity in the current perspec-
tives on Hong Kong heritage? Other than commercial buildings, is there other potential ends of the industrial building’s evolution? What are the factors determining whether a house should be redeveloped or rehabilitated? These questions should be the focus of the future policy regarding industrial zone redevelopment. Conclusion This paper casts a light on the paradigm shift of industrial buildings in Kwun Tong District by reflecting on the rise and fall of industrialisation. Traditional industrial architecture built in different stages presents the story of the moment. Even an ordinary factory could closely link to industrial life. However, many of them faded into history. Since they play a pivotal part in linking residents back to district identity, it is unreasonbale to construct a future by devastating the historical heritages. Without the tangible and intangible reminder of its collective memory, the city can soon lose its vitality and competitiveness in time.
Notes
1. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited. 2. L i n Yu Q i n g . , a n d U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g . 1996. An Evaluation of the Concept of Composite Industrial-office Building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 7-10. 3. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited. 4. E n c y c l o p æ d i a B r i t a n n i c a O n l i n e . F u n c t i o n a l ism. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2020. 5. L i n Yu Q i n g . , a n d U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g . 1996. An Evaluation of the Concept of Composite Industrial-office Building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 13-14. 6. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited. 7. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong:
1. Culture and Development Consultancy Limited, 7-8. 2. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited. 3. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited, 27. 4. “KMB Kwun Tong Depot”.. Encylcopedia of Bus Transport In Hong Kong, accessed December 18, 2021, https://hkbus.fandom.com/wiki/%E4%B9%9 D%E5%B7%B4%E8%A7%80%E5%A1%98%E8%BB%8A%E5%BB%A0#.E8.A7.80.E5.A1.98A.E5.BB. A0.EF.BC.9A.E5.89.B5.E7.B4.80.E4.B9.8B.E5.9F.8E. 5. Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. 2014. “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design”. Hong Kong: Culture and Development Consultancy Limited, 16. 6. L i n Yu Q i n g . , a n d U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g . 1996. An Evaluation of the Concept of Composite Industrial-office Building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 14-18. 7. Chan, Albert, Esther Cheung, and Irene Wong. 2015. “Revitalizing Industrial Buildings In Hong Kong—A Case Review”. Sustainable Cities And Society 15: 57-63. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2014.10.004. 8. To w n P l a n n i n g B o a r d . 2 0 0 7 . “ To w n P l a n ning Board Guidelines for Use/Develop-
ment within ‘Industrial’ Zone”. Hong Kong. 9. Wadu Mesthrige, et al., 2018. “Conversion Or Redevelopment? Effects Of Revitalization Of Old Industrial Buildings On Property Values”. Habitat International 73: 53-64. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.12.005. 10. Lin Yu Qing., and University of Hong Kong. An Evaluation of the Concept of Composite Ind u s t r i a l - o ff i c e B u i l d i n g i n H o n g K o n g . H o n g Kong: University of Hong Kong, 1996, 53-54. 11. Leung, Maggi W.H., and Dietrich Soyez. 2009. “Industrial Heritage: Valorising The Spatial–Temporal Dynamics Of Another Hong Kong Story”. International Journal Of Heritage Studies 15 (1): 57-75. doi:10.1080/13527250902746096, 59. 12. Xian, Shi, and Huiwei Chen. 2015. “Revitalisation Of Industrial Buildings In Hong Kong: New Measures, New Constraints?”. Habitat International 47: 298-306. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.02.004. 13. Lam, Janice. 2021. “Your Ultimate Guide To Camel Paint Building, Hong Kong’S Industrial Shopping Mall”. Localiiz. https://www.localiiz.com/post/whatson-thingsto-do-ultimate-guide-camel-paint-building-hong-kong. 14. Community Project Workshop, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Architecture. 2013. “The Renewal And Development Of Kwun Tong Industrial District Study”. Hong Kong. https://kwuntong. org.hk/publications/RD_KT_Ind_District_Study.pdf. 15. Leung, Maggi W.H., and Dietrich Soyez. 2009. “Industrial Heritage: Valorising The Spatial–Temporal Dynamics Of Another Hong Kong Story”. International Journal Of Heritage Studies 15 (1): 57-75. doi:10.1080/13527250902746096, 69.
Industrial Building Preservation in Kwun Tong and Industrial Identity: Perspective of the Kowloon Flour Mills Tianyao, Liao Located in east Kowloon of Hong Kong, Kwun Tong area began to become a specific area for industrial development.1 Currently, it is no longer a pure industrial area, but an area that has a large variety of context, with different buildings mixed. The Kowloon Flour Mills is one of the factories that has been operating till now, and the way that it should
be preserved is under a widespread discussion. For instance, how can the interests of the factory, the life of public and preservation tactics compromise with each other is a tough question.2 However, the most critical issue is that the identity as an industrial building, or more precisely a flour mills, should be the key to preservation and redevelopment. This essay is going to analyze the development of both Kwun Tong industrial area and Kowloon Flour Mills, and thus demonstrate why the industrial identity is critical. The Kowloon Flour Mills was founded in 1962 by a Thai Chinese merchant called Lin Kuo-chiang. Designed by Chau Lunin, the construction took 4 years and cost $5 million. Another $5 million was spent on importing machines and equipment from West Germany and Switzerland.3 Covering over 60,000 square feet of land, this nine-storey high building is the only mill that has been kept as it was constructed in Hong Kong. The mill took up half of the building, and the
other half was the iconic silos that creates the industrial identity of Kowloon Flour Mills. (See Fig.1) Equipped with a steel truss that crosses the road, the pipes in it were originally designed to suck the wheat up from the ships docked in the harbor. (See Fig.2) In the mill, wheat was grinded by machines in different floors and eventually stored in the silos. At present, there are approximately 20 workers working in it, with the youngest being over 40 years old. The production capability of the factory is about 50,000 pounds per day.4
Fig.1, Aerial View of the Kowloon Flour Mills4
Fig.2, The Pipe in the Truss Sucks the Wheat up4
However, the Kowloon Flour Mills is not the typical form of industrial enterprises nowadays in Kwun Tong. The industry began to develop in Kwun Tong in the 1950s, when the first reclamation projects began. The very first factory categories mainly included electric device factories, plastic factories, cotton mills factories. The forms of these factory buildings were closely related to the type of industry, as they are designed on the basis of functional needs of a certain industry, such as the structure of assembly lines.1
Consequently, at this stage, every industrial architecture has its unique identity. In terms of the Kowloon Flour Mills, the giant silos and the truss that connects the shore make it easy to identify. Similarly, almost all other factory buildings at this stage more or less have some special elements in the form of architecture. When these elements all come together in Kwun Tong, a beautiful collage of industrial development is formed in this district and it witnessed a special period of history.
Paint Building in Kwun Tong. The architectural form of industrial buildings does not diverse as much as previous factories. Consequently, the identity of each industry is diminished, as they become similar units in similar buildings. Eventually, when the industrial buildings become old, these offices moved into contemporary skyscrapers with glass curtain walls, such as Landmark East near Kwun Tong MTR station, and it has no significant difference with other offices towers.
In the 1980s, simultaneously with the reform and opening up policy of China mainland, many Hong Kong industrial entrepreneurs, including the ones in Kwun Tong, grasped that chance and moved a lot of factories to mainland.1 As a result, the first factory buildings were demolished, since the land and labor cost in mainland is much cheaper than that in Hong Kong. The rest industries left in Hong Kong, such as toy-making industry, used less land and became more concentrated into industrial buildings, such as the famous Camel
From the development of industry in Kwun Tong area, it is easy to conclude that the industrial identity of factories and different industries keeps decreasing once industries began to move out from Hong Kong. However, if the history of industrial development still needs to remain as a physical existence in Kwun Tong, it is impossible to achieve if all the industries are homogenized as similar units. Although many industries have moved away from Hong Kong, their industrial identity still
have its certain footprint. In terms of the Kowloon Flour Mills, its industrial identity is still very apparent and identical. With the giant silos standing near the cost of Kwun Tong district, it is a monument that represents the industrial characteristic of this region.
about preserving the form of industrial elements, but also preserving the living experience in the industrial area. In other words, when the industrial architecture is preserved, the building can be more interactive with the surrounding environment.
When it comes to preservation and reutilization of industrial architecture, including factories like the Kowloon Flour Mills and more widespread industrial buildings, keeping its form and industrial identity should always be the most critical part. Just as Robert Venturi mentioned in The Complexity and Contradiction of Architecture, the first and easiest thing to do in applying tradition to modern architecture is to employ the elements in traditional architecture.5 Although it is almost impossible to keep every part of the Kowloon Flour Mills, preserving its identity by preserving certain units is relatively easy to carry out.
Currently, since the factory is still under operation, it does not have any area that is open to the public. For residents apart from the employees of the factory, the factory is just a monument without any practical uses. Once it opens certain areas to the public, it is for sure that the Kowloon Flour Mills will become a famous spot and thus spread the culture of flour industry in Hong Kong. Consequently, the collective memory of industrialization is passed on, which is the ultimate purpose of preserving this architecture.
Moreover, preserving the industrial identity of industrial architecture is not simply
Apart from the Kowloon Flour Mills, there are a lot of industrial architecture with a silo system is preserved and redeveloped in other parts of the world. One of the represent-
atives is the 80,000-ton silos on Minsheng Wharf adaptive reuse project in Shanghai. Established in 1996, the silo system is also a representative of the local industrial development in Shanghai, and the renovation project is carried by Atelier Deshaus. During the redevelopment, all the silos are preserved, but a lot of supplementary structure is added to it. (See Fig.3) For example, since the silos were going to be a gallery for Shanghai Urban Space Art Season, a series of exhibition space is built on both the bottom
Fig.3, The 80,000-ton Silos in Minsheng Wharf6
and the roof of the silos. Most importantly, a giant stair is attached to the exterior surface of the silos, and some silos opened their interior, becoming connecting elements of the roof and the bottom space. (See Fig.4) In summary, the 80,000-ton silos on Minsheng Wharf passed on its industrial identity and strengthened its monumentality by opening itself up as well as becoming part of the city’s living experience.6
Fig.4, Interventions added to the 80,000-ton Silos in Minsheng Wharf6
Compared with the silos on Minsheng Wharf, the Kowloon Flour Mills has more potential in terms of redevelopment. Although the latter is smaller in size, it is richer in context and longer in history.7 The giant silos and the unique truss also create opportunities to add interventions to the architecture. As soon as a circulation route that connects the memorial parts in the factory and the recreational areas near the mills together, the Kowloon Flour Mills will be an interactive memorial that passes on the collective memories of Hong Kong industrial development history. Consequently, the reuse and redevelopment of the mills are no longer simply adapting industrial elements as decoration, which should be avoided.8 Moreover, a circulation route, or in other words, a linear public space will not occupy too much space in the factory, and thus it will not affect the production of the mills to a large extent. Once the industrial identity of the Kowloon Flour Mills is spread through the redevelopment, the brand of the factory can also be known as more people, which would
definitely bring more income to the factory. Consequently, the redevelopment project can also help with the survival and sustainable development of industry in Hong Kong as well. In conclusion, as the most identical monument of Hong Kong industrial development in Kwun Tong, the method that the Kowloon Flour Mills is preserved and redeveloped is of great significance to Kwun Tong and Hong Kong. Protecting the industrial identities, or in other words the unique features that shows the function and monumentality of the architecture is the basis of preservation. By adding extra space such as a linear circulation, the Kowloon Flour Mills can be more closely attached to the living experience in the community. As a result, the collective memory is passed on and permeates into the mind of residents, which is one of the ultimate purposes of architectural preservation.
Notes
1. Energizing Kowloon East Office, “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/ Urban Design,” July 2014. 2. Chang Rui Zhang, Yong Tian, and Chun Mei Zhao, “The Conservation of the Industrial Heritage Road — Taking ‘Tianjin Tractor Factory’ Site Revival as an Example,” Advanced Materials Research 838-841 (2013): pp. 2901-2904, https://doi. org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.838-841.2901. 3. Zoe Yiwen Huang, “‘Silonservation’: Adaptive Reuse Strategies for Industrial Heritage in Hong Kong – The Case of Kowloon Flour Mills” (Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Library, 2021). scelerisque nulla. Donec eu magna mollis, bibendum 4. York Lo, “Kowloon Flour Mills,” The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group, July 2, 2018, https://industrialhistoryhk. o rg / k o w l o o n - f l o u r- m i l l s - % E 4 % B 9 % 9 D % E 9 % B E %8D%E9%BA%B5%E7%B2%89%E5%BB%A0/. 5. Robert Venturi and Vincent Scully, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2019). 6. Atelier Deshaus, “Renovation and Reuse of 80,000-Ton Silos,” 2017, http://www.deshaus. com/En/Script/detail/catid/4/id/19.html.pretium sodales dui non vulputate. Mauris interdum 7. Yiying Huang and Junqi Liang, “First Disclosure of the Kowloon Flour Mills’ Interior” (Mingpao Weekly, April 19, 2020), https://www.mpweekly.com/culture/ %e4%b9%9d%e9%be%8d%e9%ba%b5%e7%b2%8
9%e5%bb%a0-%e6%9c%ac%e5%9c%b0%e8%a3% bd%e9%80%a0-%e9%ba%b5%e7%b2%89-145497. 8. D. Ordóñez-Castañón, T. Cunha-Ferreira, and S. Sánchez-Beitia, “Intervention in Vernacular Architecture: The Lesson of Fernando Távora,” The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLIV-M-1-2020 (2020): pp. 123-130, https://doi. org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xliv-m-1-2020-123-2020.,
Inheritance and Redevelopment of Industrial Characters in Kwun Tong by Rebuilding Projects Yue, Guo
Kwun Tong, an early sizeable industrial area built on a large area reclamation project in the 1960s, flourished only for 20 years in Hong Kong as an industrial zone. Kwun Tong was gradually redeveloped after the 1980s when Mainland China opened up. Many industries moved northwards because of much lower labor costs and more accessible raw materials in Southern China, leaving plenty of industrial spaces to be vacant.1 Since 2000, the government has officially
schemed and encouraged renewing vacant spaces from industrial factories to commercial centers, office buildings, residential housings, and other functional complexes.2 Although all the renewal is named as revitalization projects for industrial sites, some projects conserve the original structures, only polishing the facades and converting the inner functional usage, while some demolish the former buildings and construct a new piece of modern architecture, standing out in the context of old industrial facilities. The initial industrial buildings may have disappeared in the lapse of time, but they continue to survive in other forms, highlighting the culture and passing on the history of Kwun Tong industrial area. This essay intends to discuss two rebuilding projects, Crocodile Center and Landmark East, and first analyze the reasons why they choose not to conserve the original sites by making comparisons between the rebuilt projects and conserved redevelopment plans at the same period or under the similar situa-
tion. Then, it tries to explore and argue how the rebuilding projects can inherit and demonstrate the industrialization history and culture in Kwun Tong without actual representation. Crocodile Garment Building was the former building on 79th, Hoi Yuen Road, a factory building for Crocodile Garments since 1953. After acquiring more than half of the equities of Crocodile Garments in 1987, Lai Sun Group converted part of the industrial factory into an office building. However, the building was eventually demolished in 2006. Subsequently, Crocodile Garments and Lai Sun Group accepted paying a land premium of $274 million to demolish the original 10-story factory building and build a commercial tower.3 Eventually, Crocodile Garment Building was converted from industrial to commercial use and redeveloped into the current Crocodile Center. The original Crocodile Garment Building is not preserved as a result of the negotiation result between the two most prominent stakeholders, Lai Sun Group and Crocodile
Garments. The shopping center developer is Lai Sun Group, while Crocodile Company takes charge of the upper office building.4 The original Crocodile Garment Building could not meet all the needs of the stakeholders. Therefore, the redevelopment project started with the demolishment of original one.
Fig. 1. The context of Crocodile Centre, including some redevelopment projects like Kwun Tong Plaza and Camelpaint Building, and also many typical industrial buildings.
However, Camelpaint Buildings faced the similar situations as Crocodile Garments Building at the end of the 20th century, but
nowadays, all three industrial buildings are preserved. (Fig.1) After the production lines were all moved northwards into the mainland, plenty of vacant units were in the Camelpaint Buildings. The chief officers realized that it would take considerable risks to demolish and rebuild all three industrial buildings under the circumstances of extreme low needs and the depression of the property prices of industrial buildings.5 Compared with Crocodile Garment Building, Camelpaint has more buildings needed to be redeveloped, and it did not have problems between different stakeholders. Therefore, they applied for internal renovation to lease and occupancy as soon as possible. From the above, it can be concluded that the practical needs and economic considerations of each stakeholder are essential factors to decide whether to demolish and rebuild in a redevelopment project. Although having a captivatingly distinctive architectural style, Crocodile Center still explicitly indicates its industrial history as a gar-
ment factory to the public by remaining the property name and placing a glittering symbolic crocodile on the Low-E glass curtain wall. “Crocodile” has always been a unique and symbolic local clothing brand, as it represented the export-oriented light industry era in Hong Kong in the 1970s.6 It gradually grew into a world-renowned brand under the two entrepreneurs, Cha Shun and Lim Poryen, turning the slogan “Tough and Luxurious” into the spirit of this garment industry.7 Seeing the crocodile at the entrance of the shopping mall could already remind the public of its industrial era in the past, the interior layouts also vaguely indicate some characteristics of industrial buildings, which could be captured when walking inside the building. The story height is higher than the normal buildings, and the core tubes are arranged at one side of the building, leaving collective empty spaces. The open floor plans and high ceiling hint the features of previous factory layout, but the decoration and partitions really
change the atmosphere of the whole building.8 From the logo and the interior layout of Crocodile Center, we can still figure out some traces in the past. However, for Landmark East, people probably presume that the skyscraper with glass façade and steel frames is located in Central or Tsim Sha Tsui if people only see its online photos. However, from the remained industrial buildings around this office tower, it can be easily concluded that an industrial factory or complex previously occupied the site. Little research and few historical materials mentioned a negligible bleaching and dyeing factory located at 100th How Ming Street.9 Actually, the factory was demolished before 2000, and Vanke Property Overseas Limited bought the vacant land. In 2005, designed by Arquitectonica, two skyscrapers were under construction. The new office building project includes two 187-meter towers with modern steel frames and glass facades standing out in the surroundings. The structure of these two
towers is designed to use floor plates varying in size, thus providing maximum flexibility for leasing.10 However, unlike Crocodile Center, there are hardly any traces to indicate an industrial building standing here from both the exterior and interior spaces of Landmark East. As an ordinary small factory in the crowded Kwun Tong last century, the actual figure of the bleaching and dyeing factory only remains in historical documentation. It neither achieved a famous local brand like Crocodile Garments and Camelpaint nor had a unique and symbolic architectural complex as Kowloon Flour Mills. Kowloon Flour Mills, a 9-story modern architecture in Kwun Tong, was designed by Chau & Lee Architects in the 1960s and famous calligrapher Au Kin Kung inscribed the name. Though a small factory like the bleaching and dyeing factory, Kowloon Flour Mills should be preserved as an industrial and cultural symbol for the 1960s and 70s in Hong Kong pointed out in 2011 by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuetngor.11 After comparisons it seems explicit to conclude that the industrial buildings of big
brands or iconic architecture are on the selection list to be conserved. For the ordinary industrial buildings of small companies, although they may not be demolished now and are still used as warehouses, they do not have the qualities or meet the standards to resist the risks of being torn down in the future. The total elimination of industrial characteristics in Landmark East makes the towers shine and stand out from other low-story industrial blocks with simple plastic façade. On the other hand, Landmark East also clearly and effectively reflects the surroundings with a robust industrial atmosphere, making remarkable contrasts between modern office buildings and conventional industrial buildings in the Kwun Tong area.12 The entrance and the small open square of Landmark East are usually cold and quiet, but the surrounding industrial building complex a block away is bustling with various activities (Fig.2). Trucks flowed in and out, grabbing roadside vantage spots to load and unload. Pedestrians pass between narrow sidewalks and delivery
workers into tiny convenience stores, restaurants, or Tsun Yip Cooked Food Market adjacent to Landmark East. The estrangement and distance between people in modern metropolitan areas and the breath of living co-exist in the area centered on Landmark East, making people realize more clearly that the whole Kwun Tong area was once crowded and bustling in the industrial era. It appears that Landmark East achieves passing on the history and culture of the industrial era of Kwun Tong in a fresh and novel way.
Fig. 2. Landmark East reflects the industrial buildings around it through its modern glass facade, making strong contrasts between two distinctive contexts.
Kwun Tong has been under considerable scale revitalization from industrial to commercial use for more than twenty years. The revitalization does not have to conserve original buildings, as many industrial buildings were
demolished and rebuilt, making it more convenient to convert the functions. The analysis of two typical rebuilding projects demonstrates that industrialization history and culture in Kwun Tong can still be inherited and experienced through historical documentation, the spatial similarities between new and old buildings, and the city context with typical industrial buildings and lifestyles. From the analysis and comparisons above, it can be seen that Revitalization can be presented and achieved in various and diverse ways.
Notes
1. D. C. Y. Lai and D. J. Dwyer, “Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. A Study in Industrial Planning,” Town Planning Review 35, no. 4 (January 1965): 299. https:// d o i . o rg / 1 0 . 3 8 2 8 / t p r. 3 5 . 4 . r r 6 0 3 1 g 5 7 0 6 h p 6 5 h . 2. Culture and Development Consultancy Limited, “Study on Industrial Heritage of Kowloon East and Its Potential for Public Art/Urban Design,” Energizing Kowloon East Office, June 2014. 3. Paggie Leung, “Crocodile to Pay $274M Land Costs,” South China Morning Post, January 16, 2006, https://www.scmp.com/ article/533158/crocodile-pay-274m-land-costs.
4. Leung, “Crocodile to Pay $274M Land Costs.” 5. Tung Leung, “Walking through Kwun Tong in the past 50 years,” RTHK Podcast One video, 21:55, June 18, 2014, https://podcast.rthk.hk/podcast/item.ph p?pid=684&eid=42545&year=2014&lang=zh-CN 6. Industrialization in Post-War Hong Kong,” Postwar Industries, Hong Kong Memory, accessed December 17, 2021. https://www.hkmemory. hk/MHK/collections/postwar_industries/ industrialization_in_postwar_hong_kong/index.html. 7. “Crocodile Garments,” Hong Kong Products Exhibition, Hong Kong memory. Accessed December 18, 2021. https://www.hkmemory. hk/collections/hong_kong_products_exhibition/ booths_in_the_past/crocodile_garments/index.html. 8. Adrienn Lepel, “Characteristic Structures of the Industrial Buildings from the XIX-XX Centuries and Technical Interventions for the Re-Utilization,” Facta universitatis - series: Architecture and Civil Engineering 4, no. 1 (2006): 1–17. https://doi.org/10.2298/fuace0601001l. 9. Leung, “Walking through Kwun Tong in the past 50 years.” 10. “Landmark East,” Arquitectonica Architecture, August 10, 2018. https://arquitectonica.com/ architecture/project/axa-aia-landmark-east/. 11. York Lo, “Kowloon Flour Mills,” The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group, July 2, 2018. https://industrialhistoryhk. o rg / k o w l o o n - f l o u r- m i l l s - % E 4 % B 9 % 9 D % E 9 % B E %8D%E9%BA%B5%E7%B2%89%E5%BB%A0/. 12. Leung, “Walking through Kwun Tong in the past 50 years.”
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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.
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