HKU ARCHITECTURE GALLERY

This sample exhibition, showcasing what are today known as the Municipal Services Building (MSB), a much-overlooked publicly-owned architectural type unique to Hong Kong’s density and institutional history and today facing demolition and renewal, will serve as the basis and an opportunity to “test” the display modes and communication forms of the exhibition contents, for inclusion in a forthcoming venue of an international platform. The contents for exhibition will include analytical measured architectural drawings and physical models of differing scales, as well as photographic documentations, archival documents from the Public Works Department (today the Architectural Services Department) and Public Records Office, and additional ephemera, focused around a selection of these vertically-stacked, multi-functional civic buildings, built as Urban Council complexes (in Chinese市政大廈) by the since-1999-dissolved body of the Urban Council [市政局]. Ongoing scientific measurements taken of the tropical modernist buildings, designed with natural ventilation and today starting to be sealed in the envelope, will also be included to highlight the openness aspired to and the ideals for public amenities manifested in the original designs of this building type. For this particular site at PMQ, the design of a flexible system of exhibition structures that could be transportable and also highlight the archival aspect of the urgent documentation of this eroding type will be tested in how to present the ongoing research. We will also be using the setting of the exhibition for workshops and exchanges that will evolve the project.

Conception and Exhibition Design: Fai AU, Ying ZHOU, Jonathan YEUNG
Exhibition Team: Holiday Wing Yan CHAN, Wilson CHAN
Drawing and Model Post-productions: Kay Wing Ki CHENG, Cherrie Yuying ZHOU, Cecilia Wing Sze CHUNG, Marco Ching Ho CHAU, Ally Ching Yi SZE, Sherman Shui Fung LO, Wilson CHAN, Holiday Wing Yan CHAN
Photos: Chris Shing Chun IU
Archival Research: Noella Tsz Wai KWOK
Studies on the Ventilation Overhauls of the MSBs: Hongshan GUO, Jeff LAI, Chongyang REN
THANK YOU to all the BA(AS) Year 3 students and teachers of the spring semesters of 2021 to 2024 at HKU who worked with us on probing the potentials for the multi-functional civic building as type in Hong Kong, and also to the collaborations with DocomomoHK, AIA-HK and HKIA to lead walks to visit this overlooked indigenous architectural type.
SPECIAL THANKS also to Design Trust for your support of the project “Social Condenser Extraordinaire: the Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong.”
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Know more about: HKU ARCHITECTURE GALLERY “Test Site: An exhibition for the Project “Social Condenser Extraordinaire: The Municipal Services Buildings of Hong Kong””
Website: https://www.arch.hku.hk/event_/test-site/
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