“The great buildings of the past do to not belong to us only; they have belonged to our forefathers and will belong to our descendents unless we play them false.” William Morris (1834-1896) Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings 1875 Sustainable development has become a goal of the society in recent years. By creating a healthy and sustainable built environment, the distinctiveness and the character of the society can be maintained and strengthened. Conservation of the historic building has obvious relevance to this objective because, by definition, it conserves existing assets and can facilitate its adaptation to new uses. Adaptive reuse is a process to bring the historic building again into activity so as to achieve sustainability. During an adaptive reuse process, building professionals like Quantity Surveyors will usually get involved and contribute their professional knowledge into the adaptive reuse project so as to smooth away the obstacles encountered during the conservation process as early as possible. One of the ways to streamline the adaptive reuse project is to reduce claims from Contractor at construction stage by a well-prepared and well-written set of specification preliminaries. A standard set for specification preliminaries for adaptive reuse project not only helps in reducing claims but also is a useful tool for Quantity Surveyors to strengthen their professionalism and knowledge in the field of conservation. The research for my dissertation focuses on the specification preliminaries of the tender documents of the adaptive reuse projects in Hong Kong. The projects studied will be Old Tai O Police Station (historic building) and Hon Wah College in Kennedy Town (non-historic building). By comparing the similarities and differences of the specification preliminaries between these two projects, the difficulties and problems encountered in a heritage project can be identified (if any) and whether the standardization of specification preliminaries clauses for heritage projects is possible can be determined. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

During the author’s childhood days, she passed by a colonial red brick house every time she hiked up Mount Parker in Hong Kong. She wondered why such a beautiful yet dilapidated house stood so alone. It seemed to have no connection with its surrounding area, a very local district of Quarry Bay. Later in life, when the author began to take on more interest in Hong Kong’s architectural heritage, she then realized that the red brick house, “Woodside” (「林邊屋」或「紅磚屋」), used to be the staff quarters of Butterfield & Swire, a company that contributed a great deal to the development of Quarry Bay. Coincidentally, this company became the employer of the author, and this motivated the author to seek answers to her queries about the building, and reveal the stories behind this lonely building. Studying in the Architectural Conservation Programmes has provided the opportunity to put these answers on record, so that the public may access them in the future. The research of this dissertation focuses on the history and stories of Woodside from its construction in 1922 until its handover to the government in the 1970s. Through researching and documenting facts related to Woodside, its values (aesthetic, historical, social, rarity and architectural) and significances will be identified. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

The history of the 1911 Revolution has been widely celebrated across the straits in Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong. Numerous memorials and other points of interests have been established in the name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (Hsü 2000, 454-455), or the Revolutionary societies (Vickers 2007). In Hong Kong, a Dr. Sun Yat-sen Heritage Trail was established in the 1990s under the collaboration of Government Departments (Heather 2003). However, quite a number of the built structures relating to the history of the revolution along the trail were demolished a long time ago, which, as a result, may limit the impact of the interpretation of the Heritage Trail. Recently, the “Conserving Central” Conservation initiative (Development-Bureau 2010) and Redevelopment Projects of the Urban Renewal Authority (Urban-Renewal-Authority 2012) created a window of opportunity to strengthen the interpretation of the Heritage Trail. In implementing the H18 Graham Street/Peel Street Redevelopment Project, the Urban Renewal Authority also built the Pak Tsz Lane Park to celebrate the history of the Fu-ren Literary Society (The Chinese Patriotic Mutual Improvement Association), one of the pioneers in advancing the Western learning and calling for the Modernization of China (Urban-Renewal-Authority 2012). These interpretation efforts also invite study of the effectiveness of interpretation. The Police Married Quarters conservation project will unveil the history of the Central College attended by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, with the assistance of the discovered foundation of the Central College (PMQ 2013). The Headquarters of the Fu-ren Literary Society was situated in Pak Tsz Lane. The built structure which housed the headquarters is non-existent. Prior to the construction of the Pak Tsz Lane Park, the site was under the management of three Government departments (Central-and-Western-District-Council 2009, 2). The site consisted of playground facilities, a plant nursery and a public passageway. Opened in 2011, the Pak Tsz Lane Park consists of a Historic Pavilion, a Historic corridor and educational playground facilities, which serve to inform the visitors of the history of the activities of the Fu-ren Literary Society (Urban-Renewal-Authority 2012). / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

There are many abandoned villages in the remote areas of Hong Kong, especially in the New Territories. They are the result of urbanization and economic transition of Hong Kong. Some of these abandoned villages become relics and visitorsʼ attractions due to their long history, rural settings and unique culture. However, preservation is not a free lunch. Transforming them into museums or galleries for educational purpose may not be the real sustainable way of keeping them. This thesis aims to explore a viable form of rejuvenating an abandoned village, where urban people can have a rural experience while preserving the heritage of the village. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Because of their age, Declared Monuments require more maintenance and repair as their building components have inevitably deteriorated with longer usage over time. Declared Monuments require a high standard in conservation, and the principle of having minimum intervention and degree of change is a basic and essential requirement. Based on this fundamental principle, the repair and maintenance of Declared Monuments will not only keep up the physical condition of the building but will also provide a safe and comfortable environment for the users and retain the heritage significance of the building. Today, a number of historic schools have become Declared Monuments based on their heritage significance. As functioning schools, they are subject to regular repair and maintenance. However, most of the maintenance teams in Hong Kong and their employed consultants only focus on maintaining these schools in modern terms, such as reinforced concrete repair, water seepage repair, re-roofing etc. The techniques on how to maintain and repair the building as an important architectural heritage is not a matter of concern. As a qualified building surveyor, the author finds this a matter of concern. The focus of this study is to explore a systematic and user-friendly approach to solving repair and maintenance problems in school that is a Declared Monument. The case selected to illustrate the repair and maintenance techniques is June Li Building of St. Stephen’s Girls’ College, which is a Declared Monument. The methodology adopted is to provide a side-by-side comparison of how maintenance and repair are carried out for heritage building and a modern building. Problems at different parts of the school building are identified and the appropriate solutions are proposed. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

Community-driven approach to Heritage Conservation has been increasingly discussed internationally. One of the principles in the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas drawn up by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) stated “the participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged.” (ICOMOS 1987) One of the more well-known bottom-up approaches is Machizukuri from Japan. 　　The origin of Machizukuri in Japan largely stems from the desire of local residents to maintain and develop aspects of their living environment that can otherwise be threatened by external forces. The need to voice out on behalf of their own community is often a relatable trait for various communities all around the world. 　　In the case of Machizukuri, its origin was cast in the backdrop of a post-war Japan, where at first glance the entire country seemed to homogeneously focus solely on modernisation and economic development regardless of costs (Siegenthaler 2004, 3). But as the truth revealed, many local communities—far away from the Japan National Government in Tokyo and its consideration when shaping the country’s urban planning scheme of the time—often differ from the opinions of top-down decision makers on how their own neighbourhood should be developed. 　　When this Japanese concept of bottom-up approach first started, the leaders of these organisations were mainly made up of local non-professional residents, contrasting greatly to the conventional decision makers comprised of scholars and bureaucrats—the “traditional elite”. And yet, despite its modest beginning, after decades of development, Machizukuri is seen as a proven method to effectively solve a wide-range of issues in areas such as planning, heritage conservation, and disaster relief. 　　Over time, the Japan National Government gradually accepted the merits of Machizukuri, eventually incorporating it into national planning law. It was evident that local inputs often improved upon planning decisions made by top-down approach, and thereby increased the chance of successful implementation. 　　After several decades, Machizukuri is recognised as a proven bottom-up, community-driven concept that aimed for the improvement of quality of living through the participation of local citizens of Japan. It represents an important development in local politics and urban management in Japan. The recent citizen movement of Hong Kong, since the 1997 Handover, shared similarities to the situation that led to the creation of the Machizukuri movement in Japan at that time. 　　 　　As Machizukuri gradually matures over the past decades, it became fully recognised in Japan and internationally as an effective method to conduct community-driven citizen participation activities. It can be a viable option for Hong Kong to consider as the citizens are exploring bottom-up conservation solutions. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

Adaptive reuse of historical buildings was promoted by the government during the 2007 policy address regarding the conservation of Hong Kong’s Heritage. In the few years after this policy was launched, there were many changes to the statutory control related to the use of buildings, which has indirectly affected the occupants of these historical buildings. While it was widely criticized that there was no statutory protection to historic buildings other than those graded as Declared Monuments, these buildings related statutory controls also some effects on the conservation of historical building both positive and negative. This dissertation focus on Fringe Club as a case study, to review the effect of statutory controls to the adaptive reuse of a government owned historical building, in particular, the control through licensing. The objective is to provide holistic considerations for future improvement in applying statutory control on adaptive reuse of historic buildings. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

The conservation approach of “Heritage Rehabilitation,” as a means to give new life to deteriorated heritage buildings, seems to receive criticism from people of Hong Kong in recent years. While the government tries to promote this conservation treatment to strike a balance between sustainable development and heritage conservation, the news media appears to report related stories leaning to one side of public opinion: the side of conservationists, carrying a sense of criticism on government’s work to rehabilitate historic buildings. 　　　Studies in recent years indicated different preference on “what to conserve” among the government, scholars and the public in relation to heritage conservation. In addition, it also showed that the news media has an effect in pushing the conservation movement forward. However, there is limited research comparing the different opinions on “how to conserve” and investigating the news media’s effect on public perception on this conservation approach. 　　　This dissertation uses the rehabilitation of Wing Lee Street as a case study to explore and compare different perspectives on the rehabilitation work has been done on the street, ranging from those of the URA, architectural conservation scholars, those of the public expressed in questionnaires, the internet and via the news media, and news media interpretation. The comparison uses both statistical and text analyses. Findings suggested in the Wing Lee Street rehabilitation that there is no conflict in renovating the rundown Tong Lau and improving the street environments. 　　　However, concerning the degree of renovation, the use and maintaining the original community, there is a clear difference between the Urban Renewal Authority’s and other groups. While the Urban Renewal Authority put “Regulation” as its major reference for intervention, the scholars and public showed more concerns for the “Sense of Place” and the “Continuity of Life” on the street. 　　　The dissertation contributes to better understanding the different rationales and priorities for heritage rehabilitation from those expressed by the Urban Renewal Authority and architectural conservation professionals. In addition, it also illustrates public’s expectation on heritage rehabilitation, which will hopefully be a useful reference for a better outcome in future heritage rehabilitation projects. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

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