We connect with our church : establishing the social value of St. Andrew’s Church, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract

Churches in Hong Kong have been contributing to the city’s development since colonial rule. They provide necessary spiritual comfort for people and develop the social welfare services for generations, which create the unique collective attachment for the general public. However, in recent years people tend to recognize the architectural values in churches when considering heritage conservation. The social value that exists in churches are still informally recognized by the government officials, church congregations and the general public. The key issue addressed by this thesis is that the social value of churches in Hong Kong is not well-established due to the lack of understanding of social value in churches. The social connection that the community has to churches is paramount as it is the intangible asset for the public. St. Andrew’s Church in Tsim Sha Tsui is studied in order to find out how church buildings have affected people’s perceptions of the Church and what are the things that people cherish when visiting the Church. Although it has been informally kept through the efforts of church leadership and the project architect, both the architectural and social values of St. Andrew’s Church must be considered when conserving the Church. This thesis will first identify the term “church” and “social value” from researches, international guidance and the Burra Charter, so as to establish a common ground that could serve as a basis for the discussion of social value in religious organizations and buildings. Then followed by the investigation of intangible assets that people treasure by interviews with people that related to the Church, and identify the criterion for social value assessment in churches. The research will provide additional criteria and notes to the intangible attributes of a church that shall help to identify the social value in religious organizations and buildings.