香港的建築特色? What is "Hong Kong architectural style"?

(English version please scroll down)

筆者在荷蘭讀了半年建築碩士，不斷給那些什麼現代主義 後現代主義的建築特色， James Stirling、Daniel Liebeskind、Rem Koolhaas 等等的現代後現代建築師加上他們錯綜複雜的師徒關係及建築派別搞得頭昏腦脹。苦讀過後，筆者心存了一些疑問，究竟香港的建築特色是什麼? 與之前所學的建築理論有沒有關係?

客觀來說，香港畢竟是一個比較特別的地方，所謂中西合壁，集合了中西文化的特點，建築裏亦可從中找到其特點。但西也不太西，中也不太中，她卻自成了一種風格。筆者對這種風格是否有冠名不甚了解，但香港的建築風格似乎是現代主義的延續。

筆者認為香港最有特色的並不是高聳入雲的摩天大廈，而是複雜而精密的行人天橋系統。尤其在商業區裡的天橋系統，它連接了主要的交通樞紐，如鐵路站、巴士總站、渡輪碼頭等，務求行人可以方便快捷地到達目的地。

這些概念似乎承繼著Le Corbuiser人車分隔以及章顯汽車的使用的理念。這些理念緣自他"Ville Contemporaine"的方案，規劃透明晶亮的摩天大廈及多層分隔的大型交通樞紐。雖然這些概念當然被批評得很，但數十年後卻於遠東現實大部份的理念，而香港亦有很多城市規劃的理念與他相似。

與很多與現代主義建築相關的評論一樣，行人分隔與地下分離分割了人在地上的生活而忽略了點與點之間的生活瑣事。然而，以香港這種步伐急速的城市，我們需要這種增加辦事效率的系統。

那就根據上述的描述，香港建築是否就是機器式建築 ?


The author feels so desperately confusing when he studied the architectural theories about the modernism, post-modernism, their architects such has James Stirling, Daniel Liebeskind, Rem Koolhaas, etc and their complicated teacher-student relationship and architectural styles during the study of master of architecture in Netherlands in these half a year. After that, he questioned: How about Hong Kong architectural style? Can it be applied to the architectural theories the author has learnt about?

Indeed, Hong Kong is a kind of fusion place of combining the Chinese and Western culture which architectural style has same kind of characteristic. The style is not said to be Chinese, nor Western, but it has its own style. The author doesn't know if there is a specific name for this style, but seemingly it is the extension from the modernism.

In his opinion the most splendid things about Hong Kong is not the highrises, but the sophisticated pedestrian flyover system, which, especially in business district, connects the main transport hubs, such as metro stations, bus terminals and ferry terminals, etc. With this kind of flyover system pedestrian can go to their own destination more conveniently.

This kind of idea is probably the extension of the idea from Le Corbusier, a famous modernist architect, which suggested the segregated pedestrian circulation and the glorification of the automobiles. These concept are from his scheme of "Ville Contemporaine", which planned for groups of skyscrapers with curtain walls and huge transportation hub with different levels of transportation means. Although the concept was fiercely criticized, after several decades in the far east the concept is finally somehow can be realized. The city of Hong Kong shared the similar idea of urban planning with this architect master.

However, same as many criticism about the modernism style, the segregation of circulation to the ground make it not human as the emphasis on the point to point connection neglected the lifestyle in between. But in the situation of Hong Kong, because the lifestyle and the living pace is so fast, we need to have this kind of system, which increases the efficiency.

Yet, does it mean that the architectural style in Hong Kong is more like a machine?

Role of a self-referential architect

As told, Architect is undoubtedly a self-referential, self contained profession. Within these few hundred years the profession of architecture discuss about the referential objects, which is an invention rather than a creation.

Unlike accountant, lawyer or doctor, one could be say that architect is the most redundant profession. It can be redundant when the economic crisis are happened.
Is it also related to the reason of self-reference?

With too much reference to the architectural history in 100 years, and discussions of some contributions to the field of architecture done by famous architect, can we just have a millisecond to think of the future of this profession within the next 5 or 10 years? Comparing with the rapid technological development during these 10 to 20 years, the professional of architecture seems to be stopped at a point where cannot go further. Apart from the intelligent use of the computer-aided design software, which greatly reduced the cost of corporate-oriented architectural firms, only in the point of view of business administration, totally unrelated to the contribution related to the profession of architecture. We cannot just blindly appreciate the remarkably great things in the past and just contented about the present situation. But think of something new and challenge to the existing present to make a breakthrough. We should expand our own mind to the outside of the self-referential boundary.

The Self-referential role is challenged by the rapid development of the advanced technology. It is inevitably true that once the building is completed, it is already outdated. Even though some projects could be run by the most advanced technologies of that time, as it takes a considerable of time to build from scratch to a whole, like at least 3 years for a mid-size scale project, once it is finished some even more advanced technologies is replaced by the hardly old one.

The only way of breaking the self-referential boundary is to accept the reality of the virtual. The virtual reality could potentially become the real reality of the future, since human has closer and closer contact to the virtual internet world. We rely more on this world, where many different kind of activities can be carrying on.

But would it be realized within these foreseeable years?

"Timelessness"

Since this week of the seminar of architectural reflection, the author is very fascinated about the idea of "Timelessness" by Peter Eisenman.

From the beginning of the study of architecture, the author is already wondering why should we read so much about the history of architecture, in provision that we have already known some general idea of the architectural history. For a designing practice, the author thinks that the designers should look more towards the future rather than having reference or representation from the factual past.

As the author is not a good architectural student, only when he forced to read the article he knows what Peter Eisenman does and his architectural style. The author feels that the way he thoughts, although is not coherence, has some similarity with Peter Eisenman.

His prompt idea is "timelessness". Although the author is not really understanding the true meaning behind this word, he could understand that we should develop our own architectural style without refer or represent any style that is existed already. A non-representational figuration of the object should be presented.

The author then searched about his favourite work by Peter Eisenmen - City of culture of Galicia in Spain. He literally extracted the geometry of the city grid of the town and overlaid onto the plan of the building cluster. This is the act of transforming the geometry into a form, yet it is inspired by the old city of Santiago and five pilgrim routes. So would it be the paradigm of the argument he raised?

Eisenman Architects - City of Culture of Galicia

More informations:

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

"Venice, you are too fake."

The author of the blog has been to Venice for 5 days right after his examination on Rem Koolhaas, Sullivan and South Bank of London. This is the city where is the dream of travelling destination of many ordinary people. Yet, the author, who is totally abnormal, feels that the city is absolutely bored. It is so fortunate that Venice has biennale, which could deceive other non-ordinary people to go here.

The author has a minute of exclaimation when he saw the bridge by Calatrava, but after that, he has whole 4 days of disappointment.

When he travelled through the city, nothing seems to be so unfamiliar - lots of tourists walking along the pedestrian street, where the building is tightly packed with generic shops on the street level, lots of canals where the tourists and habitants travelled by water buses.

The whole Venice is like an expired museum.

The author sees a bridge with stainless steel structure system disguised by wood structure...Italian speaks English...St. Marco Piazza is a place with generic shops and ristoranta, with people coming from all over the world... It is a place solely fulfilled the desire and interest of tourist. Nothing other than that.

Authenticity is no longer valid in here.

Why don't we just go to Macau's Venetian Casino, where you can find the architectural style which mimicking the real one. In terms of the effectiveness of bringing tourist and revenue, it is more real then the real! And you don't need to consider if it is a cloudy day, rainy day or freezing day. It is 24/7 interior.

Extended Information:
Ponte della Costituzione (Designed by Santiago Calatrava)

2 Tage in Deutschland

With intensive workload in TU Delft for nearly 1 and a half month, the author decided to go to Germany for 2 days, after 2 years since he has been there.

The author and his trip partners first took about 3.5 hours of train from Delft to Essen, where we can find the architecture by David Chiperfield, OMA and SANAA.

SUBTLE AND RESTRAIN (Thanks for his tripmate teaching him the latter word.) can be used on the museum by David Chiperfield and the building by SANAA. Both buildings are really clean and tidy, even the details, which totally suit to the urban context in Germany .

In the next day morning they went to the Medienhafen in Dusseldorf. Frank Gehry's works and other neighouring buildings are quite interesting also..


The building he felt most "Tiefgang" is the work by Zumthor in Cologne. Just seeing the brick facade from outside you cannot see anything special. But the most sublime thing is the effect of light penetrating inside through those slits. It makes the interior really a holy place. The author had the first feeling here that architecture can create an admirable space.

Architecturally it is a good trip, but the author felt that german is indifference, same with its weather.

Extended information:
Museum Wolkwang
Zollverein Design School
Zollverein Kohlewäsche

中環灣仔繞道通風大樓設計

今天百無聊賴往中環國際金融中心閒逛，經過商場平台看見中環灣仔繞道通風大樓設計公眾咨詢的介紹展覽，於事便走進看看。一如所料，即使是星期天，購物逛街者人來人往，都沒有一個會停住下來走到展覽附近看看究竟是什麼介紹，只有筆者和零落的幾個中年人士。進入展區後工作人士已經熱情地走到筆者身旁給了一張設計選項意見表，接著便逐一細看每一個設計。

筆者有一個發現，眾觀每一個大樓的設計方案，都有一個分選方案好像似曾相識，看看你們認為的是否跟筆者是一樣的：

東面排風口 外觀設計3

中通風大樓 外觀設計2

西面通風大樓 外觀設計1

或許會展新翼的外觀太深入民心，當局可能認為若設計互相呼應或許能夠讓大眾普遍接受。但是，筆者認為這樣的設計在建築言語上太過陳腔濫調，不應在外型上刻意模仿其他建築個體。現時主流可持續建築及著重綠化環保的元素，希望當局能夠考慮多利用環保材料，這也許是鞏固香港在國際上文化薈萃的形象。

當筆者完成意見表後，工作人士連忙說聲多謝再見，然後離開。回望展區，人仍是零星數落。