Heritage

Hello, my name is Jen and this blog is to document my thoughts on architecture and its effect on the urban space. 

Being raised in Hong Kong, I have always taken sky scrapers and clusters after clusters of buildings for granted. In fact, empty spaces for gardens or low rise buildings are considered to be special. The typical Hong Kong mentality would ask: Why not build them higher to maximize profits? I, on the other hand, relish those rare built forms in a sea of generic tall buildings.

The complex below is the 1881 Heritage in Hong Kong. 

Daniel Lin, 1881 Heritage, Hong Kong (2009)
Photographed by Eddie Wong
 http://www.luxuo.com/hotel/1881-heritage-hongkong-hullett-house.html

This construction simultaneously represents Hong Kong’s colonial history, its current incredible consumerism culture as well as an unusually low-rise design. The site was constructed in 1884 as the Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound and was declared a monument since 1994 as it is one of the four oldest surviving government buildings in Hong Kong. The compound has since been redeveloped into a heritage hotel with a boutique hotel, luxury restaurants and retail facilities and it is now a major tourist attraction. The project was headed by architect Daniel Lin and opened in 2009.

While the building retains its Victorian flavors of the late 1800s, the shopping arcade feature only top tier shops such as Cartier, Piaget and Van Cleef and Arpels. To ensure a pleasant experience for its wealthy patrons, the complex includes plenty of open spaces with extravagant decorations and displays such as a giant Tiffany & Co. commissioned Christmas tree. The building is not only a monument for Hong Kong’s history, but also for its present and future.

Daniel Lin, 1881 Heritage (Courtyard), Hong Kong (2009)

Photographed by Bruce Foreman, CNNGO
http://travel.cnn.com/hong-kong/life/field-guide-hong-kong-christmas-decorations-944857