Hong Kong Vivarium: Informal Vertical Urbanism

Abstract

In hopes of contributing to the discussion of ‘relational space’ problems in the condition of high urban density, this thesis explores possibilities to reactivate lost spaces by re-instating places for associative life at the neighbourhood scale, thus, creating interstitial spaces between the public and private spheres of urban living. In the high-rise, vertical context of the dense living conditions of many global cities, the lack of space for interpersonal relationships creates a dissociative lifestyle and forms disconnected communities. On the threshold of the private and public realms, the structural extensions attached to the concrete facades of Mong Kok (Hong Kong) streets are symbolic of a yearning to break free from physical boundaries. With the gradual rise of commercial entities, highly controlled and de-territorialised spaces prevent individual expression. Such a phenomenon, nurtured by the culture of mass consumption, induces the loss of individuality in the public space. In the congested market spaces of Mong Kok, the incessant shopping of the public streetscape is contrasted to the multi-storey, segmented residential blocks of the private sphere. The condition of a congested public streetscape surrounded by vertically stacked private apartments leaves no medium for interaction above the ground plane. Since Hong Kong is a global marketplace, the increasing demand of trading space progressively obliterates non-commodifiable space for people and community life. Hong Kong’s shortage of land and heavy reliance on imported goods from mainland China leads us to question whether there is a chance of vertically generating productive commons. The thesis uses a range of media (from theories to films and novels) to critique the idiosyncrasies of the built environment. It explores the built environment through the theoretical perspectives of Henri Lefebvre and the critique of spaces of consumption by Rem Koolhaas. The concept of self-sufficient dwelling in Italo Calvino’s The Baron in the Trees and the idea of an invisible yet omnipresent group of observers in Wim Wenders The Wings of Desire provide inspiration for design motives. As a response, acupunctural designs situated within the dense built environment critiques the existing paradigms of urban life.