Social News
Written by: Zhang Jiamin
2019-12-27 00:00
Last updated: 2019-12-27 00:00Before the war, there were fewer and fewer tenement houses in Hong Kong, and after the turn of the times, they became new buildings. The 14 buildings on the Shanghai Street, rated as a Grade II historical building, are one of the only pre-war tenement buildings. The Urban Renewal Authority began reconstruction in September 2008 and completed the project last month.
The project is named "618 Shanghai Street", and the hemp pillars supporting the tower part are retained. The signboards and advertisements of the past are still clearly visible. In addition, the interior decoration also imitates the characteristics of the low floor of the old building, with new murals and VR technology to present the historical story of the tenement building. However, the mud master who has been in the industry for many years said that the difficulty of restoration lies in the collection of raw materials, and frankly it is difficult to restore the old building to 100%.
The 618 Shanghai Street Revitalization Project was completed this year. (Photo by Gao Zhongming)
Part of the facade has been removed
The Urban Renewal Authority's "618 Shanghai Street" conservation and revitalization project includes 14 tenement buildings completed in the 1920s and 1960s. The project started in 2008 and was officially completed and commissioned last month. The three-dimensional surface facing Shanghai Street and belonging to the post-war tenement building was dismantled, and modern fire protection systems and water tanks were added to meet building standards. . The 13 masonry pillars used to support the ten post-war tenement buildings in the building have been retained. The colors on the columns and the embossed calligraphy fonts have also been retained. The old shop phone numbers are still clearly visible. In addition, the building's Shanghai approved arches have also been retained.
The embossed font on the hemp column is retained. (Photo by Gao Zhongming)
Renovation of original wooden windows and arches
As for the internal space, the ground floor imitates the "low-floor" feature of the old building and serves as a community space for group rental and organizing activities. The wooden windows and arches in the building were renovated and retained, and the original tiles on the ground were transferred to the wall for decorative purposes. The URA also invited local cartoonists to paint murals based on the history of Shanghai Street, together with information collected by students from the School of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong, hoping to make visitors better understand the background of Shanghai Street. New technology elements such as AR and VR are also added to the project. Visitors can scan the QR Code by phone to simulate the environment of the old Shanghai Street.
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The Construction Industry Council had previously brought representatives from the industry to visit the project. Du Hui, a tutor who taught mud and whitewashing at the Sheung Shui College of the Hong Kong Institute of Construction, also accompanied the group. Du Hui has served as a mud master for more than 40 years. He pointed out that the masonry pillars of the Tanglou Group in Shanghai Street were common in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Italian-style and Shanghai-style batches used at that time are now very rare.
Master: Only as close as possible to the old style
He said that the difficulty of restoration lies in the need to collect raw materials. Due to the use of yellow mud in the old style, most of the current market is mainly cement sand, coupled with the color of stone pillars, which increases the difficulty of purchasing. He admits that it is difficult to restore the old appearance in the restoration of historical buildings, and it can only be as close to the old style as possible.
Du Hui, a tutor who teaches mud and whitewashing at Sheung Shui College, Hong Kong Institute of Construction. (Photo by Gao Zhongming)
Du Hui said that the difficulty in restoring historical buildings lies in the rare sale of raw materials. (Photo by Gao Zhongming)
The Construction Industry Council has a process of providing mud and water science and restoration of historical buildings. Du Hui said that many young people are studying, and students have participated in multiple restoration projects. He believes that as conservation becomes a trend, he believes that it will attract more young people into the industry. The Construction Industry Council has launched a course on cultural relics and restoration for masters who have three years of experience or above.
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The " 618 Shanghai Street" project includes 14 tenement buildings at 600-626 Shanghai Street, of which ten are pre-war tenement buildings completed in 1920-26 and four tenement buildings completed in 1963-64. The URA started a conservation and revitalization project in 2008, and was approved by the Town Planning Board in 2014 for rezoning, and completed its reconstruction in 2019.
URA's "618 Shanghai Street" project completed activation last month and has been opened for trial
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