Architectural Phenomena following Law: Review of Residential Buildings in Hong Kong’s Colonial Era

Abstract

This is a historical perspective of Hong Kong for the colonial era from 1841 to 1997 CE on the architectural (residential) forms and the legislative control regulating them. The residential typology had evolved from the Tong Lau when Hong Kong was a fishing village at nineteenth century to high-rise structures when Hong Kong became a modern metropolis. The limited land supply at the start of the colony together with Chinese culture and local technology contributed to make the first residential housing prototype as Tong Lau in Hong Kong. How this building typology relates to modern residential development is discussed in this article. Subsequently with gradual increase in population, the high density built environment of Hong Kong evolved. Various forms of legislative control like town planning issues, land matters and building regulations etc could exert influence on the building forms. These are illustrated with examples. Then how forms and features of high-rise residential buildings before 1997, the end of the colonial period, followed the building code are explained. This article is thus a concise summary of how various legislations had affected residential buildings within the colonial era in Hong Kong.