Wan Chai- Blue House

Hey Everyone,

This studio term I am working within Wan Chai, a metropolitan area on the northern shore of Hong Kong.  The area is one of Hong Kong's busiest commercial spaces with a variety of architectural typologies such as office towers, parks, hotels, residential towers, and exhibition centre, to name a few. A unique characteristic of Wan Chai is that it is a collage of old and new buildings within close proximity of one another. Urban renewal projects in recent years have made Wan Chai a distinctive area rich in development, full of history, and controversial in its preservation of
old buildings and new development.

Not being familiar with the history of the site, a local family friend offered to give me a walking tour, which I found very insightful. So I would like to share with you one
of Wan Chai's gems.

Today, I would like to introduce to you to Blue House, one of Hong Kong's historical buildings in Wan Chai. Located on Stone Nulllah Lane, the Blue House proudly stands
as a remaining example of a Tong Lau that still has a balcony typology. It has been classified as a Grade I historic building and has been preserved with its
original elements intact and maintained.

Blue House

The physical structure is not the only thing that is being saved, the proposal from the government goes beyond the saving of the building, but also includes the plan to support local businesses such as an old fashioned medical centre and dessert shop.The four story Lingnan-style building was built in the 1920's and is a fusion of Chinese and Western architectural features. According to the museum dedicated to the site, the
colouring was not a deliberate aesthetic choice but rather coincidence as the decorators only had blue paint.

The very steep wooden staircase
almost 60 degrees

Despite the fact that the structure has many inconveniences, such as the lack of plumbing, residents still live within the structure. If the residents need to use the bathroom or shower, they have to walk down the flight of stairs and use the public toilets. Residents are categorized into three types: the traditional craftsmen, professionals and people who have experience running social enterprises. They are expected to participate in the entire revitalization project whether it is to giving public tours or providing publicity.The goal of this revitalization was to consciously build and nurture the traditional community and preservation of Hong Kong's heritage.

Benches on display at the Living Containers Art Stories Exhibition
Located in the Blue House

I found this building to be strange, and inspiring. Imagine, a living time capsule of a building and its residents. If you manage to make it out to Hong Kong, I would advise visiting the Blue House and taking a look back towards the past.

Until next time, take care!