Case 9.
Kiu Wing Building, Hongkong
Background
The name of this building is Kiu Wing Building. It was built by an overseas Hong Konger in 1964. Kiu means overseas Chinese, and Wing means prosperity. I believe this building represents the good intentions of the developer. The building is located in Kowloon, an old district full of history. This is a place that represents Hong Kong culture today.
This building is where I lived when I first arrived in Hong Kong. It has a very unique location advantage, surrounded by parks, shopping malls, schools, and subway stations.
Building Impression
There are many issues to be solved:
-
Bare wires: The wires in the stairwell are exposed, and it is easy to cause a fire when the wires are short-circuited.
-
The water meter box is exposed, and many cleaning tools are placed around, which is easy to cause water pollution.
-
Broken wall: The walls are in disrepair and damaged in many places, with exposed reinforced concrete.
-
Smoking in stairwells
-
Crowded entrance
-
Broken fire-window
-
Littering
-
Dim space
-
Interior wall aging
-
Water damage
-
Exposed conditioner
-
High voltage electrical box exposed
-
Personal privacy issues
.jpg)
Current Status
.jpg)
Typical Plan
Roof Space
In the historical development of Hong Kong, people use the roof very frequently. For all residential buildings in Hong Kong, public space is a very expensive luxury. This is because Hong Kong is a city with less land and more people. 70% of the land in Hong Kong is prohibited from development. Therefore, the roof becomes a very important public communication space.
Under the influence of the COVID-19, children cannot go out to play, and it is even more difficult for children living in old buildings to play outdoors in old districts. So how to solve this problem is one of the focuses of my case study.
For this building, the roof has become very dilapidated due to long-term neglect of management. For the people living in this building, when the objective conditions do not allow them to go out, they can only stay at home. If we make full use of the function of the roof, then the problem of people's activities can be well solved.
Current Status
Interior Smoking Area
Hong Kong is a city that bans smoking in public places. The Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Chapter 371 of the Laws of Hong Kong), is commonly known as the "No Smoking Ordinance". The Ordinance was enacted by the British Hong Kong Government in 1982 and is the most important tobacco control law in Hong Kong. The purpose of this law is to prohibit smoking in certain areas, and to restrict and regulate the packaging, sale and promotion of tobacco products, and has been revised successively, parks, escalators and indoor public places, etc., will be smoke-free to varying degrees. This smoking ban came into effect on January 1, 2007 and was enforced by the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health, and a fixed penalty of HK$1,500 will be imposed on offenders who smoke. However, Hong Kong people work and live at a fast pace, so the rate of Hong Kong people who smoke is very high. As can be seen from the chart, the number of smokers in Hong Kong has remained high.
Smoking Prevalence
Daily Smokers by Age and Gender in Hongkong
Summary of Issues
For my current research, I found that roof space can be a semi-public space that supports and encourages interaction between neighbors. However, the Hong Kong government does not have a complete set of design guidelines for the use of roof space. The imperfection is mainly reflected in the aspects of structural load-bearing, building age, floor height, population ratio in buildings, etc. Another issue is smoking in public spaces. When the people off their work to go home, if there’s a space that allows them to enjoy a smoke legally, then they will not need to smoke in their apartments, which may not allow them to do so.
Relevant Toolkits
This case is relevant with the following toolkits.
Relevant Standard 3. Draft Apartment Design Guide: Creating great apartments Draft for discussion 2021.
Relevant Standard 4. Draft Urban Design Guide: For urban design developments in NSW Draft for discussion 2021.
Relevant Standard 5. Hong Kong e-Legislation.