ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMME 1999-2000 DESIGN REPORT

PALIMPSEST -AN EXPERIMENTAL HYBRID IN MONGKOK

SUEN Chi Hang Kevin April 2000

palimpsest an experimental hybrid in Mongkok

Suen Chi Hang Kevin

design report 2.P65 1 4 /11 /2000 ,2 :23 P M

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synopsis 建造中的城丨fi (city under construction)

prologue a walk in the city void in memory

experience memory

conception definition of memory

(part one and part two) memory is (part three)

proposition interference

surgery in city "black box"

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program 0000 - 0500 - 0800 - 1200 - 1800 - 2000

progress flow - connection - disconnection

non-programmatic vs. programmatic landscape

interweaving hybrid

palimpsest an experimental hybrid in Mongkok

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城市的建造似乎永無止境。我們總是可以

意到某處灰暗的舊房子夕之_被剝除了牆面’剩

It架，成為失去血肉的廢墟。然後，依循著越

越淸晰的輪廓，我們以口益肯定的語氣談論那座新

建築或新路的種種可能。最後，不知不覺中，我 、‘ /fin

經習於生活其間’記不清楚究竞改變的是仆麼

而這時候新的變化平已悄然開

The construction of city seems to be never

ending. We can always notice the old

house(s) in the shadow or darkness some-

where. Just one night the facade(s) is torn

down, only the framework is retained, and

become Dead City without content. Then,

3S the time goes, people refer to the much

clearer portrait. We disclose the new ar-

chitecture and potential way out more

firmly. At last, unconsciously, we already

adapt to live inside. We already can't re-

member what has been changed. At the

same moment, the new evolution Is un-

dergoing in secret.

建造中的城市

.卞-心'jiA

City under Construction

Wong Chi Wan

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a walk in the city

Last year,丨 had a class related to the issues of city and urban plan-ning. One of the class assignments asked for a writing statement / description of Hong Kong (city). For that reason,丨 have spent a few days, brought with my sketch book and camera, to start a journey in the city, where I have lived for more than 20 years. I "wandered" around in the city, with no pre-defined target / destination: some-times walked along the tramway / take the tram; sometimes walked from one MTR station to another/take the MTR / KCR; sometimes just walked along the street, trying to re-discover the land.

void in memory During the journey,丨 found situation annoying, especially in those districts such as Mongkok, Wanchai, Yau Ma Tei, Causeway Bay, etc, numbers of vacant / empty lots / buildings were found. There are "voids" suddenly cre-ated in the urban fabrics. The sur-rounding areas are always busy and crowded with people, from day to night. People and traff ic pass (through) the voids but seems seldom notice the changes undergoing, till it completed. If simply ask question "What was the building / function of that empty lot before?" not many can provide the answer. In the rapid de-velopment nowadays in Hong Kong, especially the redevelopment in old distr ict, the urban fabr ics have changed from time to time in high speed, which has exceeded the limit of perception. The city is always in the status of fluctuation, and in which pasts are always unstable, and even uncertain. The voids are not only physical / spatial any more, but also create the voids / vacuum in memory.

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experience me

For the conventional p (re)development in H

probably most of the areas in the world, economy is the dominant driving force. Hence, time has

become one of the most important derations, in order to minimize

Ihe period of revenue. As im-pressed by the snapshots of Hong Kong, not only the lots are empty, but also part(s) of the whole set of

memory of the city is blank. In spite of those sole renewal (re热

ment) projects, some 6 projects / buildings would

the issue of conservation / pre vation, most likely for those

heritages / historical buildings nominated. In those cases, the

form, facades or the whole build ings will be retained as an "art piece" for "appreciation". The

"space" is preserved but not the "place". People look at the history /

memory from a distance, but not experience personally.

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I come into the field and spacious places of my memory, where are treasure of countless images of thins of every manner. St. Augustine

definition of memory (part one)

If study the word "memory" for the explanation in dictionary, it can be defined as follows:

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02

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Power of keeping facts in the conscious mind and of being able to call them back at will preservation of past experience for future use

This power is an individual (also used by extension, of the unit of a computer which stores data for future use)

Period over which the memory can go back

Something that is remembered; something from the past stores in the memory

Life is all memory, except the one present moment that goes by so quick you hardly catch it going. Tennessee Williams

definition of memory (part two】

"Memory" is an important and fundamental topic in the study of psychology, by definition, memory is:

The retention of information over time, psycho-logical study how information is initially placed or encoded into memory. How it is retained of stored after being encoded; and how it is found or retrieved for some purpose later. Two important ways memory varies are its time frame and its contents.

From the authorial definition and personal understanding and interpretation, (part three)

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memory is process / cycle of encoding and decoding

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not stable

but always changing

memory is selective and subjective

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memory IS fluid：

flexible, can be reshaped / compressed,

with constant "volume" and

various "density "

memory is personal, bias, emotional otherwise, it is just factual history

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memory is layering

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If consider t compare the sj reality, vacant

cal setting, become the s) district. When ment demons

wave, interferer create a narro\

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hidden behinc preted after pas' ing of ripples, process of dec*

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study and ong Kong with

[flats, as physi-ound. They

juildings in the ICS, an experi-

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to pass through |vestigate the

are always / l i l t e d / re-inter-

(And by interact-seen. After the re of the poles lown.

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surgery in city

The urban (re)development aims to upgrade the old districts and existing urban fabrics. I agree that it is necessary and "natural" to carry out the development for different reasons: the den-sity is too high for the existing fabrics; the ca-pacity of space is saturated that cannot fulfil further expansion; in什astructure cannot support the flow of people and traffic, etc. If the city is a body, for those degraded organs, transplant surgery is appropriate, before affect others and cause collapse. For sure not rejecting all (re)developme门t’ but just focus on issues of ne-gotiation of compensation, then tear down the districts. Would it be another destruction? Not only the buildings are demolished, but the events，memory and place are erased. Without proposing alternative to retain, would it be "un-fair" to the city?

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"black box"

There are always slots in time and slots in space occur in the city. The tempo-rary existence of the voids / vacuum in the city is the potential to reflect the origins of meaning / memory / history behind. The slots become the entrance to memory / history of place. It is the entrance of "black box", which is not visible from external but internal. There is not only one slot occurs in the city with period of time, but numerous, as web / network to link up together. The black boxes as poles and arise interference of space, activities and memory.

The aim of the project is to construct "devices" (black box) to record the memory of the site(s) and people / event within. The development in Hong Kong is too fast, fast enough to forget and ignore. In order to keep in pace with the devel-opment speed, people have no time to think and consider, no wonder to "ap-preciate", the existing fabrics. People keep on demolishing / removing / eras-ing the buildings, urban fabrics and even the memory. The city is palimpsest, to be erased for overwrite. It is a city trying to remove pieces and to forget, but only remember in the mind.

The "clearance / emptiness" in the city can always be found. There are many such "voids" in Mongkok, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan, Tsim Sha Tsui, etc. The voids are "used", as car parks, under (long) construction or not used. The sedimen-tation of memory will take place in such point. If the time and space is inter-related, time is reflected by space, as index of memory. The present is frozen as time 0 vs. level +0.0, memory in the past is embedded and future to be constructed. Movement of space / events represents the time, accumulative and compressive. The level +0.0 (ground level line) is kept to be void, void to arise the awareness of the present as the cut line between past and future. When peo-ple pass the present and enter the black box, they are presumed to remember, or to forget the present, not wandering in another shopping mall.

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Old Bird's Street

r r ^ r f T t l Yau Ma Tei Cinema

Fruit Market

site【s】

When mentioning Mongkok, it actually cannot be separated from the neighbouring areas, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui. These districts are usually grouped together and named as Yau Tsim Mong. From the ancient Ming Dynasty, people already settled along the shore areas of southern Kowloon. Till 1860s, British people launched Kowloon Peninsula and used the areas for military purpose. The areas have been developed as the main commercial area at the early 20th century. Within the boundary of the "con-struction" site of the redevelopment of old district by LDC, many existing fabrics have been removed / demolished at least a year ago, including the Bird's Street, tempo-rary food stall and numerous traditional shops and buildings. The Yau Ma Tei Cinema, which used to show many adult movies in the past, has also been abandoned for many years. Just opposite to that cinema, the Fruit Market is there.

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In Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei, the streetscape is diverse, different events can be found along the street. For most of the shops at ground floor are used for commer-cial purpose, such store, supermar-ket, shop and some traditional business. Also, restaurants, food stalls, and shops as industrial purpose are scattered around. Wandering in Shanghai Street, "green" area and vacant space can be found between buildings.

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program

Since the end of 18th century, different events and cycles have happened in Shanghai Street. Diversity has become the characteristic of the area. To maintain the diverse fea-ture of the streetscape not only "relies" on the "street", but the "background，，- context, history, people (live in the area) and their need, etc. No any one single event / program exists by itself, but inter-related. If program is essential for each building or space, in this case, it will be a "matrix" of (daily) activities.

Within the city, people would repeat the same activity pat-tern, visit the same space and pass the same routine from day to day; time to time. People "take it as grant" to have the "convenience" that experienced everyday. Such ma-trix is not just collection of daily necessities that a conven-ience shop / air-conditioned shopping mall / well-organ-ized market by Urban Council can provide.

The program of the project is / is not inputting another new event into the site. It is aimed to capture and frame those of existing and will be existing, to re-value/ re-appreciate with the other perspective: different timing, venue, speed, etc. The project is not going to force any change, unless it is the trends and "natural", but just as the "hardcopy" of record for the others. The architecture itself will be both the hardware and software for recognition and remem-brance.

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In the mid-night, the fluorescent light-boxes and signs shape the profile of the street. The light indicates the occurrence of different events. The buildings, most are residential, are being the background and the activities being the envelope of the city. Food stall is the source in the darkness, people gather around there, not just for eating but as the "foci". The lorries arrive and park on both sides of the street. The labours start working and move the goods to the Fruit Market. The market wakes up in the mid-night. There is another cycle being triggered off.

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An unusual and unfa-miliar time and place for ordinary people. How-ever, every early morn-ing, people finish their work and back home. Taxis and mini-bus queue up and wait for passengers. People rush to back home. The sign light up the street, as jewel from a dis-tancG. The restaurants, and some other shops, are preparing and wait-ing for the other group of people, and other series of events.

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The lorry blocks the pedestrian road and workers load the newspaper. Both sides of the road are occupied by boxes of fruit and carts. The Fruit Market extended out the confronted physical setting and activities are allowed on the road, at that specific moment. The "ordinary" people start coming out from the building "background”，

to school or to work.

Not only the restaurants, but also the other kinds of business start to prepare for the new day of working. Before all the shops open, there are different activities happening along the street, which is "unusual" to the streetscape for other time.

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Shops have opened and use the street in their own way. Spaces are extended out to the pedestrian road and people are passing through the "gates". It is the lunch break, for both school and work. People are squeezed into the street out from the buildings again. They are back home or to lunch. The food stalls and restaurants are filled with people. In contrast to the rush, there is always space and people being "frozen". Some people would stay in the garden and area around, to wait for something or nothing.

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Time to home……people finish one day long study or work, and probably have "wandered" for relaxation. Now it is time to home. The Shanghai Street is occupied by people and vehi-cles, but not many "events" as that at the other time. The street is used as flowing space, to channel the people from one place to another, at this moment.

Is it the "peak-hour" of the Shanghai Street, and also the surrounding area? It is still being the "flowing space". The signs start to construct its envelope again. The food stalls and restaurants are being the (only) focus at this moment. The shops become the light beams in the darkness of buildings. But at the same time, few spaces have chosen to "rest" at this exciting period and wait for their assigned moment.

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part 02

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flow 01

flow 02

connection

The dominant pedestrian flow only exists at the boundary but not inside or through the proposed site. People flow along the Argyle Street, connecting the Nathan Road and the old district near Canton Road.

Vehicular flow is confronted by the grid of the city. Though the site is being void, the access has no change. Shanghai Street is still one of the main vehicular access in the neighbouring districts.

In addition of retaining the main vehicular access, there is new experience. Driving along the Shanghai Street, passing through from the dense urban fabric, exploring to the sudden openness and back to the density again. It seems to be refreshment / break in the city.

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disconnection

Though the physically settings of the surrounding seem to be retained, the activities do not exist in the site any more, now are pushed to the edges.

The flows, either vehicles or pedestrian, define the area but not really flowing inside. 丁hough the streets and roads would penetrate through but it is just another line of grid on the blueprint. The flow of people is detracted and channeled to the prescribed pattern. Connection and disconnection exist in the site: "functionally" connected but disconnected in "nature". The proposed spatial complex tries to restore the connection of the site, flow as fluid.

Mongkok, as the most dense area in Hong Kong and the world. The urban fabrics are dense, compressed and noisy. A void / break to release is desired. The void / break in the city is not only physical but also psychological / spiritual. Bring the contrasting emptiness would be the other issue to be achieved in this project.

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To restore / retain the connec-tion of the area, landscape and space is flowing continu-ously. In attempt to let people walking in this fluid and experience the dilemma in the city. In aspect of spatial function, the landscape / open space is non-program-matic, without specific activity is assigned. On top of the vehicular tunnel along Shanghai Street, there is building complex proposed, with certain building program set.

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landscape

With no pre-definition, the development seems design, or in other word to create an artificial piece of land inside this symbol ment to It repre-break/re-j u s t b u t through of pie walk on

/ landform induce / "constraint" the path / event to be happened

the spa-

to be more orientated to landscape landform. That

metropolis is s t a t e -

“ th is city, sents the lief, not

phys i ca l l y wou ld also be the break-

tial use and usual activity. When peo-the plain, they would either follow their cognition, or the slope

interweaving

Mongkok is an interweave of different events and activities. The whole district is typically "zoned" for specific purpose: computer, AV equipment, fashion, shoe, camera, food, entertainment... etc. It is too difficult and complicated to define one single function for our city. The urban life is fluctuated and ，

inducing. Each slice of our city is influencing others. The slice / flow represents different programmatic function. Those events would be independent or interdependent to the neighbouring; would be indi-vidual or clustered. But as a whole, it could still turn into one piece of plain, as one field.

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The site is divided into series of section. Each section is folded in the way to either to record the removed "existing" or reflect the "to be" vision. The proposed scheme is consist of 2 levels -ground and underground. At the underground level, it is continu-ous flow of space. The volume is not just shaped by that level but with the topology above. The artificial topology re-connects the area but not just providing piece of flat land. The folding and unfolding create the "ambiguous" space, which in fact the function is not determined by designers but users themselves. Some of the spaces would be unusual to the majority but it would be the paradise to other. For instance, the steep sloping and fluctuating surface would be the best place for teenagers who love skate-board.

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Once the ex is t ing blocks are removed, there is no "place" ex-ist. The compute r generated model is driven by certain site parameters . The spinals represent the

tion would imply the event. Some could be entrance to the inter-nal and underground space; some could be an open market ; some could be food stall……People would use the space accord-ing to their "prejudice" and turn into their place.

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It is the experience of this city: the city is ever changing with rapid pace and people wandering inside are so forgetful. One day just passed in the front of that building and the other day, as it is demolished, the memory of that place is erased at the same time. The proposed experimental site is the area of the old district redevelopment by LDC in Mongkok, one of the most dense areas in Hong Kong. The removal of the existing blocks created void in this urban fabric. Instead of imposing another layer of urban fabric similar to the surrounding, this void is retained to release the city from density and as the reflection of this area in my perspective (or memory). As the demolition has removed the existing, the flow from MTR station or Nathan Road towards the market, mini-bus stop or old district has hence be disconnected. One of the purposes for the top most layer is to re-create the continuity of space and activity. The folding/unfolding of the surface is driven by these parameters or site consideration. Though the profile is generated, "form" does not follow "function". Program is not "assigned" to space. Different spaces would induce different events. The physical settings only embed the strata inside. The spatial use in Mongkok is as fluid, reform-ing against time. The programmatic zoning of this spatial fluid attempt the same. As time goes by, the light and shadow，as one of the determining factors reflect the change and shape the outline of the different areas. Simulta-neously，different occupants would interpret the space according to their own way, in different period of time.

Aerial photograph of Mongkok with the blank as the proposed experimental site to demonstrate the vacancy in this dense city fabric.

Layering of the design - topology (landscape / artificial landform), structure, underground space, palimpsest (demolished fabrics).

Profiles confronted by the top skin and underground space. Each slice of volume / space contains different eventful component(s).

The potential strata in the void - food stall, performance / concert space, garden, market

5a The space, both top and underground, is just treated as passage for people going to work and school while some as market, sitting area (for elderly) or playground (for children).

5b In the evening, people from MTR station, bus stop along Nathan Road or else-where, walk through the site, which as the connection used to be.

5c As performance / concert space, the entire volume could be used as a single one for large function / event in the night time

6 People cluster and occupy the space in their own way. Different forms of space would implies the (human) patterns and at the same time, human is re-configuring modifying it.

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palipsest

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Mongkok

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