In WIHK’s Neighbourhood Jaunt volume 2, In WIHK’s Neighbourhood Jaunt volume 2, our colleagues keep on exploring the hidden spots in the community, from the uniquely designed Lok Fu Estate to the cosy rooftops on Lamma Island. What’s more? We even paid a visit to the Panda Park in Chengdu!
How did we go to Chengdu? Virtual travel is all the hype now! It’s a great way to explore other destinations from the comfort of our home. Led by our guide Alex, who is one of the volunteer panda caregivers, we visited the world’s largest Panda Park and learnt a lot of trivia about Panda! We even witnessed a fight between a pair of twin pandas, which was precious considering pandas spend most of their day sleeping, eating, or pooping! If you are interested in uncovering these cuties’ secrets, stay tuned for our upcoming Sichuan Panda Tours!
The Ordinary Public Housing Estates
Majoring in Architectural Conservation, Theodora is fascinated by the architectural design of Lok Fu Estate.
When it comes to architecture appreciation, we often neglect public housing estates in Hong Kong as they are deemed cookie-cutter buildings. If you are willing to give the public housing estate a deeper look like Theodora does, you will find that they are rather thoughtfully designed. The Lok Fu Estate’s inclined buildings in trapezoid shapes have captivated Theodora’s attention. At first glance, she thought that the purpose of the “setting back” feature was to maximise the daylight plane area on the streets, which used to be a common practice during the postwar era. After comparing the historical photos and streetscapes, she still hasn’t quite figured out the design philosophy.
Later she learnt that the Lok Fu Estate was designed by Alan Fitch, who was also the architect of the Hong Kong City Hall, and realized that there must be a more sophisticated reason behind the Lok Fu Estate design.
Although the design philosophy is yet to be found, the uniquely shaped structure clearly stands out among other regular box-like buildings in the neighbourhood, giving the cityscape a fresh look! When you come across another “regular” public housing estate during your wanderings, do give it a better look as you may be surprised!
Islands of Surprises
Next stop, let’s leave the hustle-and-bustle city life with a ferry ride to one of the outlying islands with Joyce!
Having lived in Sai Kung for her entire life, what brings Joyce to Lamma Island? In addition to the relaxing and slow-paced island life, the proximity to nature is definitely a joy! Joyce’s “Casa de Lamma” has a spectacular rooftop and balcony facing the sea and surrounded by trees. Every morning the alarm that awakens her is the warm sun rays mixed with the singing of the bulbuls. After a freshly brewed coffee, she heads up to the rooftop for a yoga session before she begins her day of work. The rooftop is also a perfect place for hanging out with friends and having BBQ fiesta, not to mention the spectacular sunset view.
Village houses on the terraced slope turn each rooftop into its own mini island, where different happenings can be found – the Garden of Eden with flora and fauna, the island of Spain with Sangria and beach benches… Despite the individuality of each rooftop, they are all somehow connected and provide a spectacular platform for islanders to bond.