Emptiness in Urban Growth – Rediscovering its significance in redevelopment

Thesis Statement

Emptiness in Urban Growth

– Rediscovering its significance in redevelopment

The initial essence of void, an empty space, tightly links up with the word “possibilities”. It has its undefined yet dynamic value in the city, acting as an intermediate space inside the urban fabric. These ambiguous spaces are seeking way to reconnect with our daily urban conditions.

These pocket spaces are undetermined for their further growth and thus full of possibilities. In old districts, we could easily find people giving temporary value and definition to these intimate spaces, injecting energy into these void spaces.

The current trend of redevelopment in Hong Kong is to demolish the blocks following by putting a new development on the site. The podium approach also results in disconnection with the surrounding urban fabric by the internalized layout .

By re-emphasizing the existing intimate spatial quality and elements found in the district in the process of redevelopment, it may lead to a spontaneous mutation of urban environment with the co-existence of old and new space, providing rooms for further possibility for human interventions which may possibly lead to a continuous development of the space over time, maintaining the dynamism and vitality of the city itself by introducing a new city model for redevelopment.

Methodology

The thesis is comprised of three parts,
Firstly, The research starts with travelling in the old districts in Hong Kong, such as Kowloon City, SheungWan, Wanchai. The analysis of the void space will emphasize on its element formed, dimension and the intimate spatial quality with it’s reversibility of void space as an connection with the urban fabric.

Secondly, after reinterpreting the space, new parameters are derived to form NEW CODES , to be put in future development related to its spatial context to test in different scale of application.

Thirdly, site will then be chosen as a testing ground to stitch in the new spatial qualities. In the building scale,the deign will try to demonstrate the different modes in increasing scale, bringing up the essence from street levels to building level. The Old and New Code will be categorized in 3 modes as in Attachment/Extension and Subtraction, together with the generation of the programs in the existing urban fabric, it is anticipated that the bringing in of the elements may result in an co-existence of old and new in the redevelopment process.