Buildings Recycled—City Refurbished

The treatment of buildings as mere structural enclosures for physical shelter contributes to the ease and frequency in which they are demolished to make way for new development in Hong Kong. Often overlooked is how such development occurs at the expense of existing buildings and, most important, how it contributes to the disintegration of established social settings and community ties that are unique to every site. The following project explores an alternative approach in which buildings are regarded as living objects that grow with a community and respond to the needs of their users and the areas they serve. Rather than destroying what exists and beginning anew, the project envisions one scenario for updating and adapting a building in concert with its context.