The architecture world has recently taken notice of some government buildings, recognising them with awards for their innovative and ecological designs.
     An unlikely candidate, which won the Good Design Awards 2014 and the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects Design Awards that same year, is Wo Hop Shek Crematorium in Fanling.
     Architectural Services Department architects set the building apart from its predecessors by shifting their design priority.
     "In the past, crematoriums were designed based on function and they did not fully take care of the users' feelings, so for our design, we tried to revisit the emotional needs of the families," Senior Architect MC Chung explained.
     Architectural elements including the use of nature have been incorporated into every step of the funeral process, which is treated as a dignified journey for the families and the deceased.
     When mourners arrive at Wo Hop Shek, a reflecting pool at the entrance clears their minds and prepares them for the ritual ceremony. Two rows of fir trees line the access road providing a sense of peace before they are dropped off at the hall entrance.
     The design also allows coaches and hearses to arrive together at the entrance of each hall.
     "We don’t want the grieving family to be separated from the deceased, so we allow them to escort the coffin car and enter the hall together, so there's no separation," Mr Chung said.
     Delivering the coffin to the cremator is an important part of the ceremony and the design has emphasised silence, dignity and respect as key elements of the ritual. Rather than delivering the coffin to the cremator plant behind the altar through hanging curtains, Wo Hop Shek's design took a less traditional approach. After the service, the coffin slowly descends through the floor to the cremator room below.
     "This method recalls the most respectful Chinese tradition of burying the coffin underground."
     Mr Chung and his team also incorporated the Chinese funeral culture of avoiding a return route into their design. A funeral party is given a different way out of the hall to avoid meeting other grieving families and having to retrace their steps.
     "We provide individual joss paper burners, so they don't have to share with the next or the previous mourners. After that they are directed to a garden where we've built a landscape feature. In our design, we make the feelings and emotions of the grieving family our first priority."
     It took a year for the architects to formulate the design and two years to construct the new-look Wo Hop Shek.
     Another government facility that has been making waves in the architecture world is the Ping Shan Leisure & Cultural Building in Tin Shui Wai, which the Architectural Services Department also designed and built. Its leisure and cultural facilities include a library, sports centre and a swimming pool.
     The unique design has won several accolades, including the international Architecture Awards 2014 and a Design for Asia Award 2014 Merit Recognition.

Senior architect Thomas Wan explained that the design takes its DNA from the tradition of Ping Shan in Yuen Long.
     "Because it's in Ping Shan and there's a heritage trail behind us, we incorporated elements of Ping Shan, the architecture of Ping Shan into our design vocabulary. We used the idea of the Chinese traditional cabinet - multi-storage space for Bonsais, books and porcelain," Mr Wan said.
     The architects captured and developed the essence of Hong Kong conventional "scissor staircases" by constructing an internal promenade to traverse through different sections of the building, creating a dialogue between the spaces and the visitors.
     "Scissor stairs in Hong Kong are usually what you see in flats where they serve as back stairs or fire escape stairs, but we used it to connect the spaces and allow people to relate to each other while using the stairs," Mr Wan noted.
     The design also provides a sustainable environment for visitors. Sunken planters placed on different floors bring a natural landscape indoors, while a vertical greening system and solar panels have also been incorporated.


Wo Hop Shek Crematorium


Ping Shan Leisure & Cultural Building

 

 
 

Building & Construction E-Book series