LWK & Partners (HK) Ltd. (“LWK” or the “Company”) is glad to announce that the Blue House Cluster (or “Viva Blue House” as an overall community revitalisation programme) has been honoured by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (“HKIA”) at the HKIA Annual Awards 2017/18, winning both the HKIA Medal of the Year of Hong Kong and the Special Architectural Award – Heritage & Adaptive Re-use. LWK is the Lead Consultant and Project Architect, Conservation Consultant, and Landscape Consultant (in collaboration with Team 73 HK Ltd) for the project, alongside with Meta4 Design Forum Limited (“Meta4”) as the Design Architect. 

The Jury for the awards gave high praise to the revitalisation project. The Jury Report stated that, “The jury appreciates the project as having a very sensitive approach to its design. This  successful  heritage  re-adaptation  of  a  cluster  of  old  residential  buildings  in Hong  Kong  sets  a  good  example  for  other  urban  renewal  projects  to  regenerate heritage  buildings  without  losing  understanding  of  their  original  character.  It showcases how an old part of the city can be regenerated in a specific way through a remarkable collaborative effort by the Architects and all stakeholders and users to preserve not on the fabric of the building, but maintain and enhance spaces…The new bridge network is carefully designed to connect the old and new parts of the complex, and is one of the successful new interventions… It gives a new dimension to appreciate how physical interventions can encourage communities to grow.” 

Winners for the HKIA Annual Awards were announced at the event’s press conference on 25 Oct 2018 at the HKIA’s headquarters. The Blue House Cluster was one of the two projects that have won two awards in the competition. LWK’s Director of Heritage Conservation, Mr. Eric CM Lee, and Meta4’s Director, Mr. Kenneth Tse, presented various aspects of the project at the press conference. Subsequently, the HKIA Annual Awards Exhibition was held at the Pacific Place in Admiralty, Hong Kong, between 1 Nov 2018 and 5 Nov 2018, where panels of the winning projects were displayed for public interest. 

The award presentation ceremony of the HKIA Annual Awards was held at the HKIA Annual Ball on 3 Nov 2018 at the JW Marriott Hotel. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Ms. Carrie Lam, was the Guest of Honour at the celebrated event. Mr. Marvin Chen, President of the HKIA, presented the award certificates to LWK’s representatives, Director Mr. Ivan Fu and Heritage Conservation Director Mr. Eric CM Lee, and Meta4’s representative, Director Mr. Kenneth Tse. 

Mr. Eric CM Lee, Director of Heritage Conservation of LWK, said, “We adhered to the highest standard of conservation in the preservation of the historical building. We went the extra mile to use traditional processes and techniques in repairing different parts of the building.” 

In the revitalisation of the Blue House Cluster, most of the original materials were repaired and reapplied in the revitalisation project. In cases where a component must be replaced, it would be marked so that people would know that it was not an original part of the building, but a new addition. The Blue House Cluster showcased a rarely seen bottom-up project – the project team sat and listened to the residents, finding out what are the things that they cherish about the architecture, and made sure to keep those features in the revitalisation. Understanding the limitations of their living environment, the team made improvements and installed new facilities for the building, so that the revitalised Viva Blue House could accommodate those needs, and still align with the ultimate goal of preservation and current fire and safety regulations.

With a view to promoting excellence of design in architecture which contributes significantly to the built environment in- and outside Hong Kong, the HKIA Annual Awards was founded in 1965 with a purpose to give professional recognition and to increase public awareness to outstanding achievements in architecture. It aims to foster an appreciation for buildings which have been designed by members of the HKIA and have achieved architectural excellence that deserve professional acknowledgement. The award recognises and promotes the collective commitment of the buildings industry to achieve the highest standards of teamwork and professionalism.