Aedas’ project ‘Art Community’: Revitalisation Project at Mallory Street/Burrows Street in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, triumphed at Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) Annual Awards 2013 by winning the highest honour of all award categories - Medal of the Year of Hong Kong and Special Architectural Award – Heritage and Adaptive Reuse. Center 66 in Wuxi, China, was also given a Merit Award outside Hong Kong – Commercial Building.

The Revitalisation Project at Mallory Street/Burrows Street conserves a rare and intact shophouse ensemble dated 1910s (listed Grade 2 historic building in Hong Kong) and revitalises the old district of Wan Chai by providing a public open space within a tight urban site, preserving historic buildings and upgrading them to comply with current building regulations, and revitalising it into a community-based art and cultural centre. Based on the programme requirements set by client and project manager Urban Renewal Authority, Aedas as Design and Documentation Architect, in collaboration with consultants from various work streams, revived the traditional architectural fabric for modern cultural, leisure and commercial use with an innovative design to conserve historic features, consolidate structures, improve indoor environment and renovate to comply with the current building
regulations. Designed by Project Design Director Edward Leung, it respects historic changes, faithfully reinstates the more intact portions and features, as well as introduces contemporary design and materials to the remaining blocks, presenting the 100-year evolving urban streetscape of Wan Chai.

“Restoration and adaptive reuse allow the urban landscape to develop progressively, maintain community history and memory, add to the urban cultural strength, strengthen sense of place and time and conserv carbon,” Keith Griffiths, Chairman of Aedas International explained. “Aedas has designed different adaptive reuse projects in Hong Kong and China such as the Prince’s Building, Alexandra House, and the restoration of Ming Dynasty historic buildings within mixed-use development Center 66 in Wuxi, China. We will continue to seek for more opportunities to assist in restoration and adaptive reuse work in the region and contribute our expertise to preserve meaningful buildings to meet the changes of the community.”

Center 66 in Wuxi, designed by Aedas’ Executive Directors Christine Lam and David Clayton, has two historic theatre stages and a hall dating from the Ming dynasty at the heart of the site. They are preserved and integrated into a large public plaza of this mixed-use development, which consists of two office towers and the city’s largest shopping mall. The three striking glass atria enclosing the mall evolve as the ideal response to the site’s circulation patterns, distribution of natural light, and arrangement of volumes.

Established since 1965, HKIA Annual Awards is organised annually to recognise outstanding architecture designed by its members. It is the most important architectural award given in Hong Kong. This is the second time that Aedas was awarded the Medal of the Year of Hong Kong.

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