Global Awards for Excellence: Hong Kong East Community Green Station

Instead of a being a traditional garbage-collection point, Hong Kong East Community Green Station is designed to be an asset to the local area with the inclusion of an education center, a work area for handling recyclables, an office, ancillary facilities, and a landscape area.

September 5, 2017

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@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. A view of the modular containers under the highway from Hing Man Street. — A view of the modular containers under the highway from Hing Man Street. (Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R.)

Developer: Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Designer: Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Size/dimensions: 0.8 acre (0.32 ha)

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. The modular pavilions offer differentiated areas across the project, including a flexible multipurpose block. — The modular pavilions offer differentiated areas across the project, including a flexible multipurpose block. (Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R.)

In May 2015, the Environmental Protection Department completed the Hong Kong East Community Green Station to implement the “reduction first” waste-management strategy as a pilot project for the promotion of green living and collection of recyclables at the community level. Instead of a being a traditional garbage-collection point, the station is designed to be an asset to the local area with the inclusion of an education center, a work area for handling recyclables, an office, ancillary facilities, and a landscape area. In total, the project includes 27,000 square feet (2,500 sq m) of open space and landscaping, 8,500 square feet (800 sq m) of industrial space, and 4,400 square feet (400 sq m) of educational space, with 7,500 square feet (700 sq m) reserved for buildings. The estimated total cost of the project is US$3 million.

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R.The area plan, with the project location highlighted in red — The area plan, with the project location highlighted in red (@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R.)

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. A view under the highway from Oi Shun Road at night. — A view under the highway from Oi Shun Road at night. (Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. )

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. An exhibition area in one of the modules.

Various sustainable initiatives put the green culture ethos of “use less, waste less” into practice. The station collects recyclables such as electrical appliances, compact fluorescent lamps, glass bottles, and rechargeable batteries, which are sorted in a recyclables repository before delivery to qualified recyclers for treatment and the conversion of waste into usable resources. Modular containers are reused as the bases of the buildings and are modified to suit different functions. The highway flyover above the site contributes to the passive cooling of the venues, thus reducing solar heat gain. An additional overhanging roof and vertical greening shelter the interior from direct sunlight.

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. The use of a green wall, a bamboo trellis, and a courtyard garden helps create a new street through the site, connecting the surrounding communities with a touch of oasis within the city. — The use of a green wall, a bamboo trellis, and a courtyard garden helps create a new street through the site, connecting the surrounding communities with a touch of oasis within the city. (Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. )

@Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R. The project generates a variety of gathering places—from public to private, from open space to semiopen space and enclosed areas—as an interpretation of the traditional pavilions in a Chinese garden. — The project generates a variety of gathering places—from public to private, from open space to semiopen space and enclosed areas—as an interpretation of the traditional pavilions in a Chinese garden. (Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong S.A.R.)

Hong Kong East Community Green Station transformed an underused garage under a flyover into a public gathering place to bridge the old and new neighborhood within an existing dense residential area. The concept was to create a new street through the site to connect the surrounding communities through the use of a green wall, a bamboo trellis, and a courtyard garden. The project has become a focal point for the neighborhoods where the new street and the landscape area embody a variety of gathering spaces as an interpretation of pavilions in a traditional Chinese garden, representing local cultural values. Hong Kong East Community Green Station has organized more than 100 events on site and has become a popular spot for environmental education and recycling support in the Eastern District of Hong Kong.

For additional information, visit ULI Case Studies at casestudies.uli.org.

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Daniel Lobo

Daniel Lobo is the Senior Director of Awards, Education and Advisory Group, for the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute that focuses on issues of land use, real estate and urban development. The mission of the Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Prior to joining ULI Mr. Lobo was an independent consultant working as project manager for a variety of urban and research initiatives, in particular facilitating open cultural urban interventions internationally, and new media research. Earlier he worked extensively as project manager for the Center for Communities by Design at the American Institute of Architects, and as Urban Designer at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP. He holds a MSc City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Honors) from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at London Metropolitan University.