MONG KOK Site Analysis
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CONTENTS Mong Kok site analysis
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Mong Kok photography Cottage industry
14 18 22
Site 1: Nathan Road Site 2: Oak Street Site 3: Reclamation Street
25 28 52 56 62 98 100
Reclamation Map History and Research Demographics Zoning Laws Lifestyle and housing types Space per person Alternative site analysis
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Image credits
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Marketplaces One of the most distinctive features of Mong Kok are its various markets.
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Shops Small shops on the street create a vibrant atmosphere.
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From above From above, the towers and building sites of Mong Kok can be seen from a new perspective.
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Street activity
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Signage Signs stretch across the streets, and are one of the most distinctive visual elements of Mong Kok.
Cottage industry
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Site 1
NATHAN ROAD
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Elevation - 1:1000
Section - 1:1000 16
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Site 2
OAK STREET
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East elevation - 1:1000
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Site 3
RECLAMATION STREET
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Elevation - 1:1000
Section - 1:1000 25
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HISTORY Kowloon Walled City 213m
126m
Open rooftops were relaxation spaces 14 storeys max height
No rubbish collection, rubbish was abandoned on the roof Water was pumped up from wells 90m deep running through the city to tanks on the roof top which then funneled water through narrow pipes to the homes
The Salvation Army ran many schools and nurseries
Tiny metal work shops were 700 of the industrial units in the city
Electric wires were outdoors to prevent fires
Many heroin dealiers however police could only arrest non-residents Authorities installed 8 freshwater standpipes
POPULATION DENSITY
Narrow alley pipes dripped water Brothels and gambling dens operated Stalls were unlicensed doctors and dentists, market stalls, cafes which served dog and stalls selling fish and meat prepared with little or no sanitation
Kowloon Walled City Hong Kong Mong Kok
1898
700 Inhabitants
Walled fortress
The tower buildings were built without architects or engineers and were not governed by Hing Kong’s Building and Sanitation Regulations
Kowloon Walled City was remarkable high-rise squatter camp created by accident in colonial Hong Kong in the 1890’s. It remained lawless until it became an embarassment for Britain and thus demolished in 1993.
1940
5000 Inhabitants
Walls razed During WW2 by Japanese to expand airport
1973
10,000 Inhabitants Uncontrolled building begins
1990
50,000 Inhabitants Uncontrolled building continues
1993
City demolished and turned into a park, with some remnants of the walled city
Arranz, A. (n.d.). City of Anarchy. [image] Available at: http://static.messynessychic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kowlooninfographic.jpg [Accessed 8 Feb. 2015]. Owen, P, (2012). A Rare Insight into Kowloon Walled City. [image] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139914/A-rare-insight-Kowloon-Walled-City.html [Accessed 11 Feb. 2015]. 45
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History
Hong Kong and China had excellent dockyards facilities and resources for international trading. China was ruled under the Qing Dynasty and refused to trade with foreign countries and let foreign people into their country. This caused disputes with Britain over trading rights and diplomatic relations, leading to a treaty signing over Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years in 1898. The industry boomed, in particular textiles, and the population density of Hong Kong increased drastically for a number of reasons: Chinese migrants fleeing from conflict and laws in China, immigrants from other countries now that justice for foreign nationals was allowed under British governance. For this reason, land reclamation took place and the development of new land was built outwards, into the dockyards; today, the entire historic dockyard to the west of Mong Kong has been developed, with no physical traces of the past remaining. The only sign of the history of the area is through the road names, indicating their precoius uses during the time Mong Kok was a fishing village. The irregularity and development of buildings with more open spaces surrounding them is the only sign of showing the land has been developed more recently than to the more historic east, where the area has a defined grid. In 1997, at the end of the 99 year period of British governance, China reclaimed Hong Kong from Britain. Since then, Beijing has had the authority to determine who governs Hong Kong, which has led to many disputes and riots from the people of Hong Kong, protesting for full democracy away from China and to be able to elect their own candicandi dates to run in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. These disputes are still on going today. The majority of the people in Hong Kong are pro-democracy supporters who want their own rights, in no way determined by the Chinese government but by their own people, not dissimilar to the western world and Britain.
Markets:
There are numerous pupular markets at the heart of Mong Kok, all selling a range of different products, from clothes, goldfish and food to electrical products. These markets are not only popular to the locals, but also one of the top destinations for tourists who visit from all over the world. Sites 2 and 3 are within close proximity to the markets, therefore will experience the buzz of the markets and be visited by hundreds of locals and tourists.
Built Heritage
One of the most famous types of historical building in Hong Kong was tong lau, which typically had retail units, usually small shops and cottage industries, on the ground floor, and substandard residential space on the 2-4 stories above. These residential units were often then split into even smaller units to allow as many families to live in the building as possible. They were built mainly to accommodate the many Chinese migrants fleeing from China before and after World War 2. Building Regulations changed in the 1970’s, meaning many of the tong lau were demolished to make way for new, high-rise apartment blocks, which provided increased residential space for the ever increasing population. Kowloon Walled City was another historical example of tightly compact living in Hong Kong. Whilst the city was famous for drug abuse and crime, being unhygienic, lawless and crowded, the people who lived there and the communities they created were very happy. Community is a key characteristic of Hong Kong living. 50
Stacked metal sections, Mong Kok 51
DEMOGRAPHICS Mong Kok All statistics sourced from 2011 Population Census, available at http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/fact_sheets/ca/E13e.pdf
Age
0-14 years - 12.9% 15-24 years - 9.8% 25-44 years - 33.5%
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45-64 years 29.6% 65+ years - 14.1%
Ethnicity
Chinese - 96.1% Indonesian - 2.1% Filipino - 0.4%
Thai - 0.3% Others - 1.0%
Work/Unemployment
Working - 48.0% Home-makers - 8.0% Students - 12.9%
Retired - 19.6% Others - 11.5%
Main Language
Cantonese - 90.0% Putonghua - 1.4% Other Chinese dialects - 3.2%
English - 0.8% Others - 0.7% Children under 5 - 3.9%
Place of work
In Mong Kok - 29.0% Hong Kong Island - 16.4% Kowloon - 18.4%
New towns - 12.6% Other areas - 20.6%
Marital Status
Never married - 30.2% Divorced - 2.9% Married - 50.8% Aged under 15 - 10.3% Widowed - 5.4%
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Education
No schooling - 11.2% Primary - 22.0% Secondary - 48.1%
Place of study
Diploma - 2.9% Sub-degree course - 4.1% Degree course - 11.6%
In Mong Kok - 66.9% New towns - 3.6% Hong Kong Island - 3.0% Other areas - 1.3% Kowloon - 25.1%
Monthly income, HK$
ng Ho
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Ko
Industry
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ave
M
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<$4,000 - 9.1% $15,000-$24,999 - 20.9% $4,000-$7,999 - 18.3% $25,000-$39,999 - 5.7% $8,000-$14,999 - 39.8% <$40,000 - 4.8%
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Manufacturing - 4.2% Construction - 8.3% Retail, import/export - 27.9% Transportation - 6.7% Accomodation, food - 9.5%
Information, communications - 4.3% Finance, real estate - 19.4% Education, health/social work - 8.7% Others - 10.3%
Household size
1 - 26.5% 2 - 29.5% 3 - 21.4%
4 - 14.9% 5 - 5.8% 6+ - 1.9%
Monthly Rent
<$1,000 - 1.7% $1,000-$1,999 - 9.1% $2,000-$5,999 - 64.0%
The demographics data from the 2011 Population Census offers a wealth of information that can be applied to projects. Mong Kok has an average income well below the overall Hong Kong average, and rent is typically within a small range, with relatively few high rent properties. Our designs will need to include low cost housing and facilitate the wide range of industry in the area.
$6,000-$9,999 - 17.7% >$10,000 - 7.5%
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 19th Century
Building height no greater than 1.5x street width
street width
Row Houses
Before 1903, one of the only laws governing massing stated that residential buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s height may not exceed 1.5x the width of the road.
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 1903
Building height no greater than street width
back building
maximum building width of 12m
street width
yard at least half the width of main building and back building - bridges permitted ‘scavenging lane’ of at least 1.8m
Public Health Ordinance
The “Public Health Ordinance” of 1903 was the first zoning law for Hong Kong, regulating heights and widths of buildings and specifying open space to the rear of the building. There was a requirement for glazing equal to 10% of floor area.
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 1935
Building height no greater than street width
maximum height of 4 stories for row houses
back building
maximum building width reduced to 10.7m on residential floors
street width
colonnades and balconies required on front facades
yard at least half the width of main building and back building - bridges permitted
First Building Ordinance
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;scavenging laneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of at least 1.8m
The first ordinance specifically for buildings improved lighting and ventilation in residential buildings.
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 1956
setbacks required at higher levels
maximum height increased to around 50m
Building height no greater than 2x street width
street width
small passage or light well required
Massive Blocks
Hong Kong responded to immigration from China - these massive blocks were created to house the rapidly growing population. Plot ratios of 20:1 were possible.
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 1966 maximum height increased to around 100m
maximum height of podium based on angle from street centre
street width
Tower and Podium
towers may be built close to one another
These massing laws allowed 100% site coverage for non-residential uses at ground floor. The tower must comply with plot ratio and building height restrictions.
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MONG KOK ZONING LAWS 2005 maximum height maintained at around 100m
maximum height of podium based on angle from street centre
street width
towers must have greater width between them to allow for light and ventilation
Towers with Space
Previously towers could be built very close, blocking light and ventilation. The new laws use unobstructed vision area of windows to ensure that towers are not too close to one another.
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Mong Kok
LIFESTYLE Privately owned housing
Tenement House (Shophouse) Point Tower
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10m
Tenement house (Shophouse) Typical Floor Plan, Mong Kok Year of Completion: 1993 Number of Floors: 3-6 Apartments: 6-12 (2 per floor) Apartment size: 18.8m2
Source: https://www.flickr.com/groups/sony-a7/pool/with/11764639715/lightbox/ 64
Postboxes
Communal corridor 65
10m
Fullic Court Building, Mong Kok Year of Completion: 1993 Number of Floors: 23 Apartments: 23 (Further divided) Apartment size 22m2 (1.2m x 2.1m)
Source: App- HK Typology 66
Point Towers
Photograph by Michael Wolf:CAMERA PRESS. 67
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Photographs by Michael Wolf:CAMERA PRESS.
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Mong Kok
LIFESTYLE Public owned housing
Linear tower Twin towers New cruciform Trident tower Harmony towers
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10m
Public Housing Typical Floor Plan, Sham Shui Po Type: Linear Year of Completion: 1989 Number of Floors: 14 Apartments: 224-308 (16-22 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: m2 Variations of unit: 3
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ 72
Linear Tai Hing Estate, Tuen Mun
Photograph by Soldier:WeShare. Available at: http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1198646
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10m
4.7m 4.7m
8.3m
9.5m
5.5m Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ 74
Tai Hing Estate, Tuen Mun
Source: Hong Kong Public Housing Estates. Daily, available at: https://www.facebook.com/ hkpublichousingestates/info?tab=page_infoplans/ 75
Twin Towers, Wah Fu Estate, Hong Kong Island South
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/about-us/publications-andstatistics/housing-dimensions/article/20110902/fun-deck-public-housing-blocks-design-in-evolution.html 76
10m
Type: Twin Tower Year of Completion: 1974 Number of Floors: 20-23 Apartment: 6,300 (34 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size 25.9m2 - 44.7m2 Variations of unit: 4
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ 77
10m
6.9m
7.8m
7.0m
4.5m
7.8m
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Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/
Shek Kip Mei, Nam Shan Estate
Source: Hong Kong Public Housing Estates. Daily, available at: https://www.facebook.com/hkpublichousingestates/info?tab=page_infoplans/
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Po Tat Estate 80
Photograph by: Sl, Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potat1.jpg
10m
Type: New Cruciform Year of Completion: 1993 Number of Floors: 38 Apartments: 630 (16-18 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: 35.1m2 - 40.0m2 Variations of unit: 2
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, Available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ 81
10m
5.0m
12.6m
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/about-us/publications-and-statistics/housing-dimensions/article/20110902/fun-deck-public-housing-blocks-design-in-evolution.html 82
Tsui Ping (South) Estate, 1989
10m
Public Housing Typical Floor Plan, Tin Shui Wai Type: Trident Year of Completion: 1993 Number of Floors: 34 Apartments: 1224 (36 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: 22.0m2 Variations of unit: 1
Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ 84
10m
m
3.5
m
6.2 85
10m
Public Housing Typical Floor Plan Type: Harmony Year of Completion: Number of Floors: Apartments: (28 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: 17.9m2 - 39.8m2
Hong Kong Housing Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/standard-block-typical-ďŹ&#x201A;oor-plans/ Source: Hong Kong HousingSource: Authority, available at: http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/about-us/publications-and-statistics/housing-dimensions/article/20110902/fun-deck-public-housing-blocks-design-in-evolution.html 86
10m
5.0m
9.0m
11.6m
6.6m
6.6m
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Mong Kok
LIFESTYLE Luxury housing
Palazzo Opus One
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Palazzo, New Territories
Photograph by: Baycrest, Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK_The_Palazzo.jpg 89
Clubhouse facilities 90
10m
Private Housing: Contemporary Podium Tower Year of Completion: Number of Floors: 36-38 Apartments: 101-181(4 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: 51.6m2 - 132.5m2 Variations of unit: 4 (2/3/4/5 bedrooms)
Source: Centradata, available at: http://centadata.com/eptest.aspx?type=2&code=DBPPWPPYPA&info=fp&code2=&page=1 91
10m 10.8m
8.0m
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Kitchen
Living
Photographs: Squarefoot.com.hk Squarefoot.com.hk, Available at: http://www.squarefoot.com.hk/property/18163500/ 93
Opus one 94
Photograph by: Thomas Mayer, arcspace.com. Available at: http://www.arcspace.com/features/gehry-partners-llp/opus-hong-kong/
10m
Opus, Hong Kong Island Type: Luxury Residential Apartment Year of Completion: 2012 Number of Floors: 12 Apartments: 12 ( 1 per ďŹ&#x201A;oor) Apartment size: 557.4 - 641.0 m2 m2
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Thomas Mayer. arcspace.com. Available at: http://www.arcspace.com/features/gehry-partners-llp/opus-hong-kong/
Catherine Shaw. Available at:http://www.wallpaper.com/design/yabu-pushelbergs-show-apartment-at-the-opus-hong-kong/5816 96
In the 2014 survey, Hong Kong was branded the most unaffordable cities to buy properties. Demographia rated housing affordability in Hong Kong as “severely unaffordable” ”The prices are still out of the budget of ordinary families.” Polytechnic University real estate professor Eddie Hui Chi-man. The densest area of the cities houses with nearly 16,500 people living in every square mile of the territory. There is a massive difference in the quality of life of the rich and the poor in Hong Kong. The unit size of inhabitable space ranges from the poorest unit size from 1.7 m2 to the richest 641 m2. In Mong Kok area, Apartments are horizontally sub-divided into tiny spaces known as “Cage home” and vertically up to three levels high in the worst case, which can pack 20 people in one room. As land in Hong Kong is so precious, most residential buildings are designed to include other functions in the podium level. Both lower class to upper class people share facilites. For the higher class people, the kind of programme in the podium level are usually service based and required entrance fees which classes as semi-private space. While the residential buildings for the lower class people are mostly fully public accessible spaces such as communal parks, shared reading areas and local shops.
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SPACE PER PERSON Hong Kong - 3 bed apartment 1960s
2.25m2
3.25m
1970s
2004
2
1980s
1989
5.0m
Hong Kong - social housing average
11.5m2
2009
2
12.5m2
9.0m2
2014 13.0m2
London - 3 bed apartment 2006
London - social housing average 2014
17.4m2 36.0m2
All above are minimum space per person for an apartment intended for 5 people. It is worth noting that many Hong Kong apartments have been further subdivided, meaning far less than the legal ďŹ&#x201A;oor area per person. Minimum sizes are also built to in the majority of cases in Hong Kong making the average size, even of new apartments, far smaller than that of London.
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10m
Hong Kong
London
Recommended minimum size
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Data collencted from: https://www.google.co.uk/maps
ROAD PRIORITY Analysis using Google traffic TrafďŹ c overlays on Google Maps show realtime congestion on roads in Mong Kok. This can also be overlayed with public transport information to provide accurate information on how the city moves and functions. This could be used for all sorts of analysis, and using it throughout the day would provide insights into the quietest times of day, where people live and work, and which roads are the most congested.
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The Nike+ smartphone app can be used as a current and accurate form of analysis. The app alows analysis at two levels; the wider map of Hong Kong demonstrates habitated areas and more wealthy regions where smartphones and time for exercise are more common.
RUNNING PATTERN Analysis using the Nike+ app The closer district scale provides an insight into which parks and public spaces are being used. The Anchor Street Park (highlighted) for example, has no running activity while other similar areas have far higher numbers.
Data collencted from: https://secure-nikeplus.nike.com
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TWITTER MAPPING
Data collencted from: http://trendsmap.com/
Data collencted from: http://hashtagify.me/hashtag/occupyhk
Using tools such as Trendsmap, Hashtagify and The One Million Tweet Map, twitter trends can be easily analysed and mapped. Information on this page shows that, while support for the Hong Kong Occupy movement is still strong (it is one of the top Twitter hashtags), it is steadily
Data collencted from: http://onemilliontweetmap.com/
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decreasing in popularity. Interestingly, the largest users of this hashtag on Twitter are large Western accounts such as Time Magazine and BBC World. These tools allow tweets to be easily seen as a whole subject matter, and even pinpointed accurately on a map of the site.
Using data fron very current sources, such as smartphone apps, can give a new, interesting perspective to site analysis. This can be particularly helpful for tracking real use of public space, and the inďŹ&#x201A;uential factors in a trend. It is notable, for example, that the democracy protests are largely mentioned by only a few local individuals on Twitter, and are mainly circulated by Western news accounts.
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Image Credits Cover, pages 12-13 Page 3 Pages 4-9 Pages 11, 19
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Luke Askwith Helen McGhee Jonathon Hughes Phil OldďŹ eld