Abstract
Building regulations and government control have always constrained and influenced the development of Hong Kong architecture. The government holds most of the land in Hong Kong (Crown hold), except for the villages in the New Territories and some special areas. In the mid-nineteenth century, the government divided the land on Hong Kong Island and leased it to interested people.
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Notes
- 1.
The description in this chapter is partly referenced from a working paper by Han Zou and Charlie Xue, Shaping the city with an “intangible hand”—a review of the building control system of Hong Kong. Working paper at City University of Hong Kong, 2014.
- 2.
For further details on the role of British hygiene engineers in Hong Kong, see Xue et al. 2012.
- 3.
According to the Buildings Regulations (Standards of Sanitary Fitments, Plumbing, Drainage and Toilets), Tang Lou (tenement house) refers to any building in which part of any living room is intended or adapted for more than one tenant or sub-tenant. April 1999.
- 4.
For more about Tang Lou, see Chan (2005).
- 5.
For the density in London, see a report jointly written by HTA 2015. For the density in the United States, it is the author’s experiences for most of the subdivisions in the Mid-west states.
- 6.
Density varies and increases in many urban areas of Hong Kong. The current number is available from the website of Planning Department, Hong Kong Government. See www.pland.gov.hk.
- 7.
The material of Royal Peninsula is from the author’s investigation from 2001 to 2015, and also from the “Particulars and conditions of sale”, made on 18 March 1996 by Land’s Department, Hong Kong government.
- 8.
Practice Note 223, 1998.
- 9.
Practice Note for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers, APP-152. 2011. See (Hong Kong Government 2011).
- 10.
Like Hong Kong, Macau suffers from a small territory area and insufficient construction land. In 2004, the government wanted to reconsider the street shadow regulation, but it was strongly protected by the public; see the Macau Daily, 4 Sep 2014. http://www.macaodaily.com/html/2014-09/04/content_932665.htm. Accessed 1 Dec 2014.
- 11.
For further discussion of Gregory, see Far East Architect & Builder (Editor: A.G. Barnett), 1963–1965.
- 12.
For more details on Wharf Properties Ltd.’s lawsuit against Eric Cumine, see Wu Qicong and Zhu Zhuoxiong, Jianwen zuji: Xianggang diyidai huaren jianzhushi de gushi (Hong Kong: Jingji ribao chubanshe, 2007); the title of the lawsuit was Wharf Properties Ltd. versus Eric Cumine Associates (1991) 52 BLR 1, see online http://www.aeberli.com/uploads/articles/wharf1.pdf, http://www.aeberli.com/uploads/articles/wharf2.pdf; Although it was widely spread that the plot ratio of Harbor City did not reach the maximum allowed by the authorities, this reference only mentions the issues of schedule delay and the architect’s supervision of construction.
- 13.
Henry Tang’s residential basement in Kowloon Tong was exposed by the media during his 2012 election campaign for Chief Executive, as the construction of the basement had not been reported to the Buildings Department. The BD checked his house and took the case to court. See Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News, Metro and other newspapers, July 31, 2013.
References
Buildings Department. (1998, April). Practice Note for Authorized Persons and Registered Structural Engineers 223, Podium Height Restriction under Building (Planning) Regulation 20(3). Hong Kong: Buildings Department, Hong Kong government.
Buildings Department. (2011, January). Practice Note for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers, APP-152. Sustainable Building Design Guidelines. Hong Kong: Buildings Department, Hong Kong government.
Chan, C. (2005). Tenement house in a city without memory. In C. Chan & H. Choi (Eds.), A trip in space: Hundred years of Hong Kong architecture (pp. 50–57). Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Ltd. 陈翠儿(2005). 没有记忆的城市:花样年华的唐楼. 陈翠儿、蔡宏兴主编. 空间之旅:香港建筑百年. 香港:三联书店.
HTA, Levitt Bernstein, Pollard/Thomas/Edwards and PRP. (2015). Super density—The sequel. London: HTA, Levitt Bernstein, Pollard/Thomas/Edwards and PRP.
Xue, C. Q. L., Zou, H., Li, B., & Hui, K. C. (2012). The shaping of early Hong Kong: Transplantation and adaptation by the British professions, 1841–1941. Planning Perspective, 27(4), 549–568.
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Xue, C.Q.L. (2016). Government Control, Building Regulations and Their Implications. In: Hong Kong Architecture 1945-2015. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1004-0_4
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