Repurposing a historic building into a sustainable community within an industrial area is a formidable challenge. Nonetheless, we persevered and successfully overcome various hurdles. Through ingenious design and layout, we infused the site with new elements while preserving around 70% of the existing structure, including the iconic H-shaped building facade. In addition, the estate incorporates numerous eco-friendly designs and landscaping features, achieving a green coverage of over 40%. The result is a comfortable and inviting living environment and a precious green space amid a densely packed industrial zone.

The Housing Authority has breathed new life into this historic building, creating an urban oasis in the industrial area. Its remarkable transformation has earned widespread recognition and numerous architectural awards.

Features

Thoughtful Architectural Design

Given that the building's original purpose was industrial, we had to extensively re-plan and redesign all floors during the renovation process to create a comfortable residential space that meets modern living standards.

Acoustic balconies with noise absorptive panels and noise screens were strategically placed to address the area's serious issues with traffic and industrial noise and create a more peaceful living environment.

In addition, all domestic flats were designed to overlook the internal courtyards in order to protect residents from noise and improve ventilation.

Architectural & Historical Conservation

The project preserved the distinctive architectural elements of the Chai Wan Factory Estate, including the distinctive H-shaped building facade, the strong horizontal lines created by balconies and slabs, the painted characters of the building’s name and other painted notices indicating floor loading capacity, the ramps with concrete grilles, and the chimney stacks.

We have also set up a display area to showcase the history of the Chai Wan Factory Estate and information about the neighbourhood, and to exhibit the collections during the cleaning period of the estate, including removable printing machines, closets, wooden carving boxes, furniture, toys, and signboards of companies that had units at the industrial estate.

People-Oriented Design Approach

We adopted a people-oriented approach to this redevelopment project. During the design stage, we invited former tenants and stakeholders to attend community engagement workshops to glean their views and historical memories.

Pleasant & Green Environment

Many sustainable elements were incorporated into the design of Wah Ha Estate, such as the installation of green roofs to mitigate the heat island effect, the enhancement of natural ventilation and lighting for residential units through energy-efficient light wells, the provision of rainwater harvesting system and root irrigation system, etc.

We have provided flower beds on the ground floor, fifth floor and green roofs so that the greenery coverage of Wah Ha Estate exceeds 40%.