140 YEARS OF MAKING HONG KONG 

Archi-Talk Series

Speaker: Mr Bing Kwan

Date: Friday 9th January 2009 

Time: 7.00pm

Venue: archicentre@peelstreet

Price: Free

Archi-Tour Series 

Special Guest Docent: Mr Angus Chan

Date: Saturday 10th January 2009

Time: 10.30 am (Briefing)

            11.00 am to 12.30 am (Walking tour)

Venue: archicentre@peelstreet

Price: $150 Adult, $100FOA and Students

Archi - Tour Series

Tour Guide: KC Ng

Date: 10 January 2009

Time: 10.00am (Gather)

           10.30am to 12.30pm (Walking Tour)

Price: $150, $100 FOA and Students

Assemble at archicentre@peelstreet

Archicentre is collecting old photos of Sheung Wan and Central for exhibition and archive. All photos can be emailed to info@archicentre.hk or handed into 8 Peel Sreet. Originals will be scanned and returned to owner

 

Archi-Tour Docent Recruitment

Archicentre is currently recruiting Archi-Tour Docents for guided tours around Hong Kong. 

Docent Training Lecture 

Date: Saturday 17th January 2009

Time: 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon

Assembly at: HK Architecture Centre

Archi-Tour Demonstration workshop

Date: Saturday 31st January 2009

time: 10.30am to 1.00pm 

Assembly at: HK Architecture Centre

Upon completion of the training workshop & review, trainee will be recruited as an Archi-Tour Docent

Archi-talk Series

Speaker: KC Ng

Subject: The first generation of chinese architects in Hong Kong

Date: 19/12/08

Time: 6.30 p.m.

Venue: archicentre@peelstreet

風雨中的嘉年華

上星期在維園舉行的樓宇安全嘉年華，香港建築師學會和香港建築中心都參與其中，設有攤位。是日雖然風雨交加，攤位飽受風吹雨打，參觀的市民少，但義工熱切參與的心一點也沒有動搖。多位建築師更先後到來為大家打氣，K. S. Wong一家和Martin Tam試玩攤位遊戲，Agnes Ng和Clarence Ho與義工打成一片。義工互相交談，講自己的經歷，分享生活體驗和心得，擴闊理解事情的角度，頗有獲益。中心日後會舉辦更多交流活動，讓大家樂在其中。

係唔係僭建?

在史特加大學外圍的荒野， 遠眺你會懷疑是不是倒榻了的建築遺骸?

既要平又要快， 研究所主要由鐵皮鋼骨破璃構成， 東歪西倒的建築部件尤如即興的併湊。 你會問: 左一忽右一忽， 係唔係僭建? 當然，解構建築師最驚你唔問。

當建築師解放了建築部件，賦與它們視覺上自由的同時， 自己可能失去自由，特別在電腦繪圖還未普及的時代。

建築物: 大陽能氫原子研究所 (HYSOLAR INSTITUTE BUILDING)
地點: 史特加 (Stuggart, Germany)
建成年份: 1987
建築師: Gunter Behnisch

Written by: Tony Leung

Singapore Biennale 2008

蓋瑞的蝴蝶 Gehry's Butterfly

優靜的海德公園(Hype Park)是倫敦人假日遊走散心的好地方。沿著中心蜿蜒湖(Serpentine)兩旁，可以看到各式各樣的户外活動在這兒發生: 小孩在湖邊和天鵝玩耍,男男女女在露天茶座品茶等等… 但這個夏天的數個月，因為他在蜿蜒畫廊(Serpentine Gallery)的設計令公園變得不再寧靜。

說的正是美國建築大師法蘭‧蓋瑞(Frank Gehry)，為這一年一度的涼亭(pavilion)設計動筆。雖然他沒有作品在香港，但有看過近期上映的<速寫建築大師>的觀眾相信也對他略知一二，他的建築風格和速寫一樣抽象，著重建築的神態多於形態，往往令到細部設計和施工時遇到很大挑戰.但因為他對物料和建材的大膽運用，卻令他創造出一件又一件大師級作品。

小小的畫廊前地，卻給予設計者無限的空間: 法蘭說海德公園令他聯想到小木屋和蝴蝶，就起用了木和玻璃作為主調，幾件呈方形的巨大窗框亂而有序地懸掛在半空中，形成拍翼起動的神態。但在下面參觀的遊人感覺並不輕，因為在屋頂之上有一個更巨型的方木綱架和很多長短不一的綱枝把所有組件支撐著，形成非常強烈的對比。正正就是他大膽實現概念的精神，令眾人都在這蝴蝶下高談闊論何謂建築。香港曾否容納這種大膽創建下的小小討論空間?

Bong Yeung

誰偷走了我們的公共空間？

時代廣場一役，民間討論公共空間私有化之聲一片沸沸揚揚。原來，私人物業範圍有公眾使用的地方，私人發展項目有公眾設施。過去，一般市民毫不知情，在可自由活動的地方卻遭拒諸門外，或過門而不知可入，就連小業主也給蒙在鼓裡。原本屬於大家的空間彷佛給偷走了。不禁要問，究竟是誰偷走我們的公共空間？誰讓我們的公共空間不知不覺被偷去？相隔數月，冷靜下來，要進一步思索：為什麼私人物業範圍內會有公共空間？這情況何時開始？香港有此需要嗎？實在要好好討論這一連串問題，希望有識之士為我們解開疑團。

魚會變了飛龍??

維特拉是世界級傢俱商，嗜好是邀請名建築師設計廠房和展館。

美術館如同一座白色巨型雕塑， 坐落於德國為萊茵廠房的藍天碧草。 在陽光下展現不同的形態和動感。 展品當然是維特拉家俱資料……但重要嗎?

你會問: 「設計概念是甚麼?」建築師會答: 「是表現了魚躍的動感…」
換了在香港，魚會變了飛龍， 除非放左鯉魚門， 我諗。

建築物: 維特拉傢俱美術館 (VITRA FURNITURE MUSEUM )
地點: 為萊茵 (Weil am Rhein, Germany)
建成年份: 1989建築師: Frank O Gehry

Written by: Tony Leung

抽象森林

如果你選擇火葬，可考慮到柏林近郊。樹林中，有一個由混凝土柱構成的抽象「森林」。自然光從「樹頂」的圓洞滲下。 在灰暗的背景襯托下感覺神聖，你的視線將不由自主地向上移， 靈魂隨光源處飄去…

當然，同胞也可視之為免費贈送的大香燭。

中央的聖水池裡沒有銀仔， 卻懸浮一隻…蛋，生命的象徵意義乎?

建築物: 巴兆隆域火葬場 (BAUMSCHULENWEG CREMATORIUM)
地點: 柏林-特立圖, 德國 (Berlin-Treptow, Germany)
建成年份: 1998建築師: Axel Schultes + Charlotte Frank

Written by: Tony Leung

何謂建築?

建築師學會曾印製一些單張, 上面寫著:「如何成為建築師」每一次, 當我看見這些單張時, 我都有衝動去把那句「如何成為建築師」改成為「如何成為建築師學會會員」。因為單張上只列明「考牌」的制度。可是, 我認為要成為一個真正的建築師, 只讀書和「考牌」, 不足夠! 一個真正專業的建築師, 必須要知道建築到底是甚麼, 為建築定義! 建造和建設, 很多人都懂得做, 甚至做得比建築師更好。唯有建築設計, 建築師是不能退而求其次的!
所謂專業, 是一種精神; 建築師只是一種行業, 並非大家口中的專業人仕。 因為對建築一知半解的「領牌」建築師也可以是不很專業的。

文: 曾柏添

京都﹒新風館, NTT/Richard Rogers

二ＯＯ一年擴建完成的新風館，原身為舊京都中央電話局，具歷史價值。建築師保留舊建築，利用新建築部分把原來的L形布局改作「口」形，創造中庭空間，變身潮流商場，為荒廢了的古蹟注入生氣，也為市民提供開放式表演場地。增建的藍色鋼骨迴廊，依附在舊建築的紅磚牆，色調和質感對比強烈，既為三層商鋪帶來人流，也是中庭的立體觀眾席。

(撰文: 建築師梁冬亮)

洛杉磯 Getty Center, Richard Meier

石，是西方建築語言的基本詞彙。它深遠地影響了建築空間和形態的演變。直到工業革命後，石的建築文化才漸被替代。Getty Center是位於山路上的複雜建築群，集合了博物館、藝術研究中心多種功能。來自意大利舊石礦的沉積岩，同時體現了建築和藝術的永恒的歴史價值。石，更使多變的建築物外觀呈現歸一感。

撰文: 吳啟聰(香港建築中心)

費斯古城

世界上最簡單同時又最複雜的建築，一定是摩洛哥費斯古城。簡單在於它絕大部分的建築物都是高度少於三層的房屋，無論外形和圍繞著中庭的室內空間，都差不多完全相同。但因為防衛的考慮，迷城內的房屋都沿著縱橫交錯的小巷而排列，令昔日的入侵者和今日的遊人迷失方向。

撰文: 黃德明(香港建築中心)

Living in Small Spaces—Hong Kong

Hong Kong is just a miniscule dot off the southern coast of China and at first glance not special at all. Its land area of 1104 km2 makes it already small, but then 75% of the land is actually undeveloped. It is amazing then, that seven million people can use this little piece of space into one of the most bustling, vibrant cities in the world.

Living in Hong Kong is nearly the opposite of growing up in North American suburbia, where it was almost a requirement to own a car if you wanted to get anywhere. All the streets and wide roads were neatly organized into a nice grid, which you’d travel on during a twenty minute drive to reach a large stand-up sign proclaiming the name of some shopping mall. Then you would park your car (free) in the large parking lot and walk into a strip mall with some stores so large that you could have your morning exercise inside.

In Hong Kong one of my first difficulties was getting anywhere I wanted. Whereas locations and directions were clear in North America, I gave up using Google maps after one week in Hong Kong. Not only were the cluster of streets tangled with each other in random directions, but many of them didn’t even have street signs! Eventually I learned to rely on sight recognition, which led me to another astonishing discovery—Hong Kongers know their city inside out. Name any area and they will likely know where it is, how to get there, what there is to do, and what kinds of people live there. Perhaps it is because of these small spaces at home that Hong Kongers have gone out to explore the city instead.

In “The Laws of Simplicity,” John Maeda describes creating simplicity by hiding complexity, giving the example of a VCR player. Even though there are dozens of buttons, the effect is not jarring because they have been hidden by a flip cover. Hong Kong, out of necessity, has applied the same principle into urban planning. Suppose you walk down a street in Mong Kok for ten minutes looking for a restaurant but don’t find one at all. Where did they go? In that ten minute walk, you likely have passed a dizzying selection of them already, only they were obscured by narrow passageways into buildings where they resided on the 8th floor.

Hong Kong has had to deal with a land shortage for many decades, and making it extremely difficult to find areas to build new structures even on reclaimed land. Instead, it has poured its wealth of artistic talent into interior design, creating some of the most beautifully designed hidden jewels. Oftentimes, it is the lack of space that makes it easier to design a room according to a strong concept or set of principles as they come up with creative solutions to maximize space. It is not uncommon to have the space under the seating area in a restaurant transformed into a drawer for holding dishes, or have ceiling-high bookshelves. Moreover, Hong Kong’s status as an export hub, gateway to China, and melting pot of international ideas means that these interior designers usually have the resources to create whatever they dream of making.

There really aren’t that many places in Hong Kong, and it is very possible to memorize all the MTR stops if you take it often enough. And yet, this city will never get boring because it is continuously moving. It is fascinating how the trends change so dramatically, whether it is in food, fashion, or design. Every couple of weeks, a new full-scale exhibition is installed in Times Square; and at least thirty more are recommended by the Art Map every single month of the year, and not just in the summer. And despite the 35C weather in August, the crowds that come out to these events, such as the Hong Kong Comic Fair in Wanchai, would dwarf the mass of Boxing Day shoppers in downtown Toronto any year. And just how many cities in the world can boast its own thriving music and movie industries? Most countries don’t even have that and yet Hong Kong’s entertainment industry has millions of fans in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries, as well as Canada, USA, Europe, and other areas with overseas Chinese.

Hong Kong is just a small piece of land with not much to call its own. And yet the people have combined their collective relentless energy, creativity, and strong will to work around all these small spaces to create a stunning city that will continue to surprise the visitor no matter where they look.



Writer: Michelle Kwok

「建築」與「漫畫」

可曾想過「建築」與「漫畫」的關係，可以超出外國著名插畫家 Hellman 的想像力呢，且看看以下插圖吧。

溫哥華Gleneagles 社區中心, Patkau Architects

木，加拿大盛產之物。木可給人温暖、舒適及柔和的感覺。這個小社區中心用木作桁架和簷篷結構，表現出對地理風貌的親近及重視。大木簷篷標志着入口位置，同時細說着木的優美綫條、紋理、顏色和質感。整座建築物應用環保技術。因此在採光、通風、保温、用電上均經過週詳的考慮。木，既是本土文化和大自然的象徵，也拉近了人和科技的距離。

撰文: 吳啟聰(香港建築中心)