A hidden gem in a shopping paradise : establishing the significance of modern architectural heritage : the case of Ocean Terminal, the first modern shopping mall in Hong Kong

Abstract

Being the earliest developed area of the Kowloon Peninsula, “Tsim Sha Tsui” is irrefutably a central hub of cultural heritage and historic buildings. A few of the most well-known cultural heritage sites includes: the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, Peninsula Hotel, former Marine Police Headquarters Compound, the Star Ferry Pier, the Star Ferry Public Transport Interchange as well as the five flag poles. However, the heritage significance of Ocean Terminal, the earliest modern commercial development of Harbour City and located right beside those cultural heritage sites, seems to be neglected thus far. The author, being a technical staff working in Harbour City, feels the obligation to voice for and arouse public attention on the significance of Ocean Terminal as an example of modern architecture in Hong Kong. At the time of its opening in 1966, Ocean Terminal was the first modern shopping mall in Hong Kong and also the biggest modern shopping mall in Asia. It was also the first of its kind in the world to integrate a shopping mall with a pier. The building was conceived as a pioneering American style shopping complex cum a cruise terminal equipped with indoor air-conditioning, the longest automatic twin escalators and the largest double-deck carparks. The architectural typology of Ocean Terminal is unique and is an excellent example of form-follow-function. Not only did Ocean Terminal introduce an American culture and modern shopping experience to Hong Kong, but also helped to craft the prototype of modern shopping centres and shape the shopping paradise in a capitalistic society. This dissertation emerges from a little studied issue (neglect of the heritage significance of Ocean Terminal), which is particularly personal to the author, and projects to a broader realm (proper recognition of modern architectural heritage in Hong Kong). It is hoped that the findings will call on formal recognition by the local modern heritage professional body – Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement – Hong Kong chapter (DOCOMOMO Hong Kong), and make contributions to the theoretical framework and knowledge for the modern architecture in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Ocean Terminal embodies significant heritage values and exemplifies a unique architectural typology in Hong Kong. So much so that it is a hidden gem that should no longer be concealed.