Heritage Outing: Conservation and Revitalization of Architecture and Landscape for Kuk Po Villages 谷埔村落with Professor Wang Weijen
The Executive Committee is delighted to organise a 2nd heritage outing to Kuk Po with Professor Wang Weijen, Andrew KF Lee Professor in Architecture Design, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong / Design Director, Wang Weijen Architecture. In addition to the guided tour of the village and its surroundings, there will also be a guided tour of art works by Chan Kwan Lok.
Situated amidst the rural landscapes of Hong Kong’s Sha Tau Kok, Kuk Po preserves large area of mangrove wetlands and traditional Hakka settlements, juxtaposed against the backdrop of Shenzhen’s urban skyline across the sea. Supported by the Countryside Conservation Office, the design team from the University of Hong Kong has embarked on an initiative encompassing design research, conservation, and revitalization efforts in Kuk Po, to implement an acupuncture planning strategy through site participation and micro-renewal. By conserving and repurposing heritage structures and reimagining public spaces within the village, the design interventions aim to elevate the environmental quality of Kuk Po while re-fostering a sense of place with the community.
Based on the framework of the “Kuk Po Vision,” the study interweaves architectural, landscape, and community, addressing the study of wetland valleys, Feng Shui woods, and the typological and structural characteristics of Hakka architecture. Over the past four years, the team has launched initiatives to revitalize built structures and enhance the surrounding environment through a series of collaborative endeavors, including exhibitions at Kai Choi School, restoration of the Kuk Po Common, establishment of the Kai Choi Plaza, community engagements with the Art Kuk Po Program, construction of Eco Toilet, and renovation of the Ruin Garden.
The team emphasis on research and place-making within the design process, addressing issues of typology, texture, structure, and tactile qualities, as well as active community involvement, to reconstruct the historical memory of the site. The design explores alternative urban and rural spaces in Hong Kong, promotes sustainable urban and rural environments, and raises public awareness of traditional architecture and community culture, as well as conservation of the ecological and landscape environments. The project covers:
Kuk Po Common – Adaptive Reuse of a School Building for Community Spaces.
Kai Choi Plaza – Place Making with Collective Memories.
Art Kuk Po – Space Catalyst and Culture Participation with Creative Intervention using Kai Choi School, Kuk Po Common, and the plaza as venues.
Eco-Toilet – Green Infrastructure with Organic Recycling.
Ruin Garden – Heritage Conservation of the Sung family mansion built during the Qing dynasty with Innovative Method.
Resource Person
Professor Wang Weijen, Andrew KF Lee Professor in Architecture Design, Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong / Design Director, Wang Weijen Architecture.
Integrating architecture with nature and culture landscape, his practice and research respond to high-density urban context, rural conservation, and sustainable environments. His design projects covering campuses and community buildings, consistantly received awards from HKIA, HKIUD, AIA Hong Kong, AR, WA, and was reviewed by Kenneth Frampton in Modern Architecture (2020).
Previously Head of Department of Architecture at HKU, he was the 2023 Howard Freeman Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley, curator of 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale for Hong Kong Exhibition, and 2007 Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism / Architecture. With research focuses on typology of Chinese Architecture and Cities as well as Hong Kong’s urban rural spaces, his published books include Refabricating City: a reflection, Regenerating Patio: Studies of Macao’s Historical Urban Fabric, Kuk Po Vision: An Account of the Architectural Environment in a Hong Kong Village, and design monographs Urban Courtyardism by UED and Taiwan Architect.
Photo Credit: Kuk Po Vision