Day 2: Kowloon Kai Tak Development

Start with employees who working at Kwun Tong at traffic peak hour.

Kwun Tong is a industrial district.  Since many industries are moved to China, the industrial buildings become empty.  The landlords tried to change the function of the industrial buildings, for examples freight house, design studio, indoor war game, function room, retail store, offices etc.  They offer a low rent space for any activities.

Indoor games in industrial building.  (Photo by Sky Posts)

Urban Renewal in Kowloon East
Government found that problem and targeted to redevelop Kwun Tong (Kai Tak Development Project).  They set up the Energizing Kowloon East Office to execute and speed up the development project.  The redevelopment include 320 hectares land with mix of commercial, housing, community, tourism, public facilities, infrastructure etc.  The iconic buildings and systems are include Cruise Terminal, new rail system EFLS (Environmental Friendly Linkage System), sports complex, Metro Park etc.

Energizing Kowloon East Office 

Development master plan model

Kai Tak Development plan (Photo by CEDD)

Cruise terminal is in-use.

Revitalize Industry Building Project
We had chance to visit a revitalize industry building.  It is still under construction.  It will be revitalized as a high end office.

It do not have facade yet.

It do not have lift.  We walk to 9/F by temporary staircase.

The structure is reuse the original industrial building.

It do not have curtain wall yet.

The architect make use the original bricks and apply
simple wall painting as the design of the wall finishes.

These are disposal of exiting old pipes.

Temporary stair case in the construction site.

I doubt whether the redevelopment can benefit Hong Kong people.  Nowadays, seems all shopping malls have same brands of shops and restaurants.  It's because only the corporates can afford the rent of the shops and they monopolized the market.  The existing industrial buildings offer low rent for any business, which benefit small companies and creative business.

Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) and MegaBox
We had quick walk pass through ZCB.  ZCB is a showroom and education center to promote zero or low carbon building design and technology apply to Hong Kong.  It was closed today.  So, we could just visit the website to study it's technology.

We went to MegaBox for lunch.  MegaBox is mix of shopping mall and office building.  The outlook of the shopping mall has a "Big Eye" (a round glazed facade).  It provides nature lights for several floors in the mall, which saved electricity of lighting.  Visitors in the mall can see the nice view of Cruise Terminal through the "Big Eye".  The design is very smart.

The "Big Eye" design.

Ice rink can share the sunlight through the "Big Eye".

There is a outdoor area where can see the Curise Terminal and
Kowloon side.  The building management locked to the door,
so it's easier for their maintenance and management.

I could only take a photo through the two glazed doors.

Kowloon City
We took bus to Kowloon City after lunch at MegaBox.  Kowloon City is a very old town and many places are developing.  Old buildings and new buildings are mixed together.  When we were walking on the street, my right hand side were very old buildings and left hand side were luxury residential buildings and shopping mall.  The new buildings and the old buildings at the same street are cost approx. HK$12k/sq.ft. and HK$3k/sq.ft. receptively.

Old building on right hand side.  The buildings are very interesting.
It is a very long building or they are different buildings connected together? 

New residential building and shopping mall on left hand side.

New building price

Old building price

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen is the only walled villages in town.  Due to the development of this area, they are going to be dismantled and redevelop.  The villagers are requesting government to arrange a new house for them in the same district.

The houses are collected to each other and share the same structure, so they cannot stand alone.  The developer buy some houses and dismantle them to affect the structure of neighbor houses.  They use this method to push the villagers leave the village.

When we visited Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen, it's actually not many people living there.  Only few elderly.  The houses are looks empty, old and danger.  Seems this village will no longer be here.

The houses looks empty.

Banners for request relocation of villagers.

The houses cannot be used.

Kowloon Walled City Park
Kowloon Walled City was a very interested place.  When Hong Kong was colony of UK, Kowloon Walled City was a self-governance place where not under UK and Hong Kong government.  It was at the center of Hong Kong, but out of Hong Kong government or UK's control area.

Kowloon Walled City became a criminal slum, ie. drug abuse, gambling, sexy, illegal doctors, refugees etc.  It affected the safety of the Hong Kong.  Government tried to destroy the organized crime there.  On the contrary, it made the Kowloon Walled City more strong.  The people built many unauthorized buildings shortly.  They made use every inch of space for buildings.  The buildings were close to each other with almost no gap between them. The corridors were narrow and environment was poor.  Although they were unauthorized buildings, people thought the architectural is amazing.  Buildings were close to each other with almost no gap.  Kids were running on the roofs and jump over the buildings.  People living in it could not see any sunshine.  The center of the city was a temple.  Except the surrounding buildings, the temple was the only place can see the sunshine.

Finally, Chinese government, Hong Kong government and UK agreed to dismantle this place and changed to a park.  It is the Kowloon Walled City Park now.  Unlucky, I'm too young and no chance to see this amazing unauthorized architectural.

Model of the Kowloon Walled City shows the high density of buildings. 

The elevation of the Kowloon Walled City.

The temple at the center of Kowloon Walled City are kept
and become a exhibition and visitor center.

A public house outside Kowloon Walled City.
People live very close to the criminal city. 

The previous living place of Moses when he was young 
We pass by Moses' previous living place.  It becomes a international school.  The buildings are renovated.  We could see the building name at the top of building.  It is style of some old buildings.

Building name on the building

Classrooms of international school.

Langham Place
Mongkok is a high building density area.  Lands are limited.  Langham Place is a skyscraper with shopping mall, hotel and offices.  Langham Place shopping arcade is a very thin building, small land use area and tall.  There is a very long escalator from 4/F to 8/F.  (Personally do not like long escalator as it is danger.).  From 8/F to 13/F, each floor is super small and only for small shops.  Hong Kong's lands are expensive, architects always facing problem of limited land.  Buildings are develop vertically, taller and taller.