A Warehouse of Heritage Value: a Case Study of the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptions in Middle-Level, Hong Kong
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A warehouse of heritage value: a case study of the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptions in Middle-Level, Hong Kong Pui Ting CHOW, [email protected] Construction Dispute Resolution Research Unit, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Li Yee CHAN, [email protected] Construction Dispute Resolution Research Unit, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Sai On CHEUNG, [email protected] Construction Dispute Resolution Research Unit, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Abstract There are a growing number of advocates preserving heritage which is important to a sustainable society. This paper draws on heritage literature to define a set of attributes amount to value of heritage trail. These attributes are identified as important measures to examine the value of heritage, in particular, the case study of the Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptions (the Cathedral), the Central route of the heritage trail, Hong Kong The investigation revealed that the potentials for conserving the Cathedral valued highly in the heritage trail and there are diverging views by various stakeholders. The differences are attributed to the understanding of the heritage trail and the issue of authenticity. The implications of the study provide suggestions for future improvements in the development of heritage trail. Keywords: sustainability, heritage, historic value, architectural merit, social value 132 1. Introduction Old buildings are often regarded as obsolete and typically subject to clearance and comprehensive redevelopment (Power 2008). Moreover, preservation has become another option for buildings of value. The presence of protected buildings however pose restrictions on what could be done with the neighbourhood, in particular where such spaces are not of similar character. Therefore, the intent of conservation must harmonize with the need for a healthy socio-economic base in the community. Furthermore, the value of heritage differs among the potential users and the general public. Heritage refers to buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of significant value (UNESCO 2011). It involves the development of touristic activities on man-made sites, architecture, housings and landscapes that originated with socio-economic development processes of earlier periods. The subjects of heritage also encompass the fixture, such as plants, products, machinery, equipment and documentation (Xie 2006). In Hong Kong, the natures of heritage have varied from traditional Chinese culture, colonial culture to cosmopolitan culture as tourist attractions. Examples of heritage in Hong Kong, among many, include the Tai Fu Tai which is the opulent residence built by a scholar who was bestowed the title of Tai Fu (mandarin) by a Qing emperor, Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall which has been built in honor of the Tang clan's founding ancestor and Man Mo Temple which is dedicated to the gods of Man (literature) and Mo (martial arts). The increase in popularity of heritage visit is attributed to the growing globalization of society and declining links with traditional customs. Culture tourism gives tourists nostalgic and novel experiences. In addition, by stressing the value of local cultural past, the touristic activities enhance the residents’ identity and encourage localization as well. Heritage visit is also a vehicle to improve regional image and to function as a public relation tool to counteract public prejudice against preservation (Besculides et al. 2002). There is a growing support that heritage visit is instrumental for social capital restructuring (Aas et al. 2005; Tiesdell et al. 1996). The increasing popularity of heritage visit has been viewed by many to be a mixed blessing for the host community because benefits and inconvenience coexist. Heritage visit is often cited as a means to offset the effects of economic restructuring and raise the tourist profile of the city and regions. In reality, the economy dependent upon heritage visit appears to be limited, because related employment can rarely compensate for the loss of profit resulting from the redevelopment of land in Hong Kong in full (Hui et al. 2008). Despite the developments described above, the foci of heritage visit are quite narrow in scope (Henderson 2002). Little empirical research has been under-taken into the impact of heritage visit in promoting morale across local communities (McLean and Cooke 1999). The shift of landscapes from livelihood to tourism spots involves fundamental changes in the local communities. It involves certain level of adoptive reuse and includes change or expansion in its function, from being fully or partly utilized to a new functional purpose much different from its original and/or present use (e.g. museum). It is important that the originality of the heritage visit is valued and is incorporated into plans that benefit its new function. Thus, there is a growing literature on the development of heritage visit from urban planning and architectural perspective. For example, Machado et al. (2009) interpret heritage visit from educational or archaeological perspective and emphasize the protection and care for the irreplaceable elements of the community, restoration of buildings, grounds, 133 machinery, and processes, and developing new uses for redundant elements of the local landscape. The success of maintaining high heritage value is based on broad principles of conservation and building incrementally on surviving resources in terms of buildings, landscape, and people in regenerating works (Aas et al. 2005). The principles emphasize the significance of creating a sense of place which is unique, imaginative, authentic, sustainable, and public participative (Leary and Sholes 2000). A comprehensive heritage value evaluation thus becomes crucial in developing a heritage visit. This paper first identifies key attributes of heritage visit from literature (AMO 2012; Australia ICOMOS 1999; China ICOMOS 2004; English Heritage 2008) Then, these attributes are used to evaluate the heritage value in a case study of the Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptions (the Cathedral), the Central route of the heritage visit, Hong Kong through interviews and questionnaire survey studies (Figure 1). Figure 1: Axonometric view of the cathedral 2. Key attributes of heritage 2.1 Historic value “What the site has to tell us about the course of human history, or the history of a group or culture. The site may conserve important physical fabric or other evidence of the past. It may be associated with important events and developments of people.” (Australia ICOMOS 1999) Historic value serves to assess the characteristics of heritage and to make a sound decision about which tourism programs to invest in. The major purpose of heritage is to provide residents and visitors “with which to continually interact, one which fuses with the present” (Lowenthal, 1985:410). Heritage has close historical association with the cultural development of the community that (1) effectively illustrates important aspects of the social, economic, cultural, industrial or military history of the community, or (2) bears a significant testimony to a cultural tradition, a culture or a phenomenon which is living or which has disappeared. In a broader historical context, the linkage can be between heritage and (1) persons, (2) events, or (3) archaeological potential. Thus, heritage that physically and/or visually associates with one another provides richer historic value. 134 2.2 Architectural merit Architectural merit is“…a demonstration of a particular design, style, artistic development or high level of craftsmanship” (Australia ICOMOS 1999). Architectural merit demonstrates the value of architectural design, plan forms, decoration, craftsmanship, construction techniques or use of materials/fabric of heritage. High score in architectural merit should be accorded to group of buildings exhibiting an important interchange of styles, over a span of time or within a cultural area, on developments. Authenticity, integrity and rarity are added features to architectural merit of heritage. Authenticity is an ability of heritage to convey its significance over time. Authenticity is seen as the “opposite of generic” or genius loci. An authentic heritage has undergone little modification and retained most of its original features, materials and characters. Alterations and additions at a later stage should not detract from the original architectural expression. It can truthfully and credibly express its cultural value. Thus, the heritage gives visitors the spirit of place and an area’s most important aesthetic attribute (Florida 2002:228). Integrity is a measure of the wholeness and intactness of heritage and an ability of heritage to secure or sustain its significance over time. Thus, the physical fabric of a heritage and/or its signature features should be in good condition, and the impact of deterioration processes under control. Rarity refers to the uniqueness of heritage in architectural style, purpose, function, details, type, convention, age, assembly use of building materials, construction elements or method, etc. In some special cases, the architectural