CUHK professor speaks on urban repurposing at British Council’s SPARK

As a thought leader, CUHK is playing an active role in community education. Prof. Hendrik Tieben from the School of Architecture was invited by the British Council to speak on ‘Urban Repurposing: Re-imaging and Revitalising the City’ as part of SPARK: The Science and Art of Creativity programme which took place in Tai Kwun during 18-20 January 2019.

Urban environments hold many unexploited possibilities. The space, land, structures and systems that constitute our cities have the potential to do so much more for their inhabitants. The panel, consisting of researchers and industry experts, explored the opportunities and challenges presented by repurposing buildings and conserving the built environment heritage as a way to revitalise our cities. Examples were drawn from Hong Kong and other cities around the world where existing, traditional infrastructure is being redesigned, repurposed, and reimagined to better serve citizens in the 21st century.

Prof. Tieben shared his experiences in redesigning and revitalising various districts in Hong Kong, sharing his involvement in the ‘Magic Carpet: Re-envisioning Community Space’ project in Sai Ying Pun and a Tin Shui Wai community project to demonstrate how our city can be made more inclusive, functional and a pleasant place to live in through community-wide engagement efforts.

SPARK is a new British Council initiative which celebrates creativity across the arts, sciences and education, and offers a platform for cultural exchange between the UK and Hong Kong.

Prof. Hendrik Tieben (1st right) shares his experience in redesigning and revitalising various districts in Hong Kong.