At home with density spatial representation in Hong Kong public housing

• Main Author: Rooney, Nuala
• Other Authors: Turner, Matthew
• Published: Edinburgh Napier University 1997
• Subjects: 700; NA Architecture
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509364

This study examines the representation of space in high-density Hong Kong public housing. Over half the population in Hong Kong lives in public housing yet little is known about how they physically cope with density through everyday dwelling. Specifically, this post-occupancy study attempts to highlight the context of high density dwelling as a legitimate dwelling experience. It focuses on residents' interpretation and conception of space and examines problem-solving in the everyday context of high density living. The research is presented as a narrative highlighting spatial sensibilities in a culture of density. It traces the development of housing forms from early Hong Kong to the establishment of the Government housing programme. It will be argued that the combination of a massive influx of a refugee population, and a shortage of housing in the Territory created a situation where low-level design standards in public housing were not only accepted by the population but became the norm. Through qualitative interviews with long-term residents of public housing this study proposes to question assumptions of Western spatial thinking within domestic space. It looks at the way in which the changing habitus has been affected by social mobility and shifting cultural values of space; in particular, it examines how different generations living in the same household perceive and represent their home. This thesis contributes to an emerging field of design knowledge. It is a reflective study which, it is anticipated, will provide other designers with insight into lived-in qualities of density and residents' ability to articulate design knowledge. It seeks to challenge designers' preconceptions of density and the performance of professional design knowledge in the interpretation of everyday space.