A Case for High-density Living, A Study of Adaptable Prefabricated Construction for High-rise Residential Buildings in Hong Kong By Michael Kin Kai Lam, B.E.S. A thesis submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional M. Arch) School of Architecture Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario January 2007 ©2007, Michael Kin Kai Lam Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. i * i Canada Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ii Abstract This thesis argues that high-rise housing that offers its potential buyers a wide range of spatial configurations together with a design scheme that generates an interactive living environment is a better response to the demanding living conditions in Hong Kong. The research will be comprised of studies on demographic and economic factors that correspond to current living conditions in Hong Kong; the concept of adaptable prefabricated construction; the precedents of using prefabricated components with adaptable characteristics; and the integration of automobile and building assembly methodologies as a means to derive an advanced assembly construction system. In the design proposal, I will present the conceptual ‘unibody modular’ assembly system as an alternative adaptable prefabricated construction approach that is assembly-efficient while permitting diverse spatial configurations that depart from the design uniformity of high-rise residential buildings. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments I wish to thank my parents and my brother, Sunny, for their supports and unconditional love over the course of my time at Carleton University. And special thanks to Kerry Kwan for the input of her time and ideas throughout the process of writing this thesis. At last, I wish to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor, Manuel Baez for his patience, constructive criticisms and guidance for the thesis. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii List of Illustrations vi 1 - Introduction 14 2 - Residential Development in Hong Kong 2.1 Introduction 18 2.2 Driving force of early prefabricated housing 21 2.3 Pre-cast reinforced concrete construction 25 2.4 Recent residential tower developments 28 2.4.1 Constraints in unit dimension and spatial arrangement 32 2.5 Proposal for adaptable prefabricated building design 38 2.5.1 Diamond Hill Village, Hong Kong 40 2.6 Re-considering a new method for housing construction in Hong Kong 42 3 - The Concept of Adaptable Prefabricated Construction 3.1 Introduction 44 3.2 Architects’ perspectives on adaptable prefabricated construction 45 3.3 The design tendency for ‘standardization’ and ‘adaptability’ in prefabrication 50 3.3.1 Standardization 51 3.3.2 Adaptability 53 3.4 The search for better housing construction methods 54 4 - Adaptable Prefabricated Housing Precedents 4.1 Introduction 55 4.2 Architects with adaptable prefabricated construction 58 4.3 Le Corbusier— Skeletal Framing System: Unite d’Habitation de Marseilles 60 4.4 Moshe Safdie— Modular System: Habitat 67 71 4.5 High-Tech Groups 81 4.5.1 Richard Buckminster Fuller: 4-D Dymaxion 83 4.5.2 Herbert Ohi: Space-Cell System 88 4.5.3 Archigram: The Plug-in-City 92 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V 5 - Automotive ‘Unibody Module’ assembly system as a Model for Adaptable Prefabricated Construction 5.1 Introduction 96 5.2 Architects and automobiles 98 5.2.1 Jean Prouve— Maxeville workshop 100 5.3 Automotive assembly methodology— ‘Unibody’ structural frame 103 5.4 ‘Unibody modular’ assembly system 107 6 - Site Characteristics 6.1 Proposed site- Yau Ma Tei area, Hong Kong, China. 110 7 - Response 7.1 Design proposition 113 7.2 Diverse dwelling layouts 115 7.3 ‘Unibody modular’ assembly system 122 7.3.1 ‘Sub-modular’ system 123 7.3.2 System integration 125 7.3.3 Construction sequence 127 7.4 Semi-private open space 133 7.5 Site Strategy- ‘Green Pocket’ communal spaces 138 8 -Conclusion 150 Appendix Appendix I: Site Documentation 158 Appendix II: Photos of the physical model at scale 1:200 159 Works Cited 161 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vi List of Illustrations All images by author unless otherwise noted. Figure 1: Early prefabricated residential development, To Ka Wan, Hong Kong. Figure 2: Bamboo scaffolding used to construct high-rise residential towers. Source: Bamboo construction in Hong Kong, 17 Sept 2006 <http ://img. search, com/2/26/3 OOpx- BambooConstructionHongKong.jpg>. Figure 3: Aerial view of the ‘metal cabins’. Source: Wong, Luke S.K, Housing in Hong Kong: A Multi- Disciplinary Study, (Hong Kong: Heinemann, 1978) 180. Figure 4: A ‘metal cabin’ attached onto the prefabricated facade wall Source: W<Woo, C. Wai, Hong Kong Style. 2nd ed. (Hong Kong: CUP, 2005)110. Figure 5: The “Jump Form”, a highly mechanized formwork system, Tseung Kwan O Area Phase 4, Hong Kong. Source: Felix Leung, 15 Most Outstanding Projects in Hong Kong. (Hong Kong: China Trend Building Press, 2005) 164. Figure 6: The “Jump Form” assembly sytem shows that the track rail can enable the prefabricated panel to slide into position. Source: Felix Leung, 15 Most Outstanding Projects in Hong Kong. (Hong Kong: China Trend Building Press, 2005) 165. Figure 7: Pre-cast reinforced prefabricated components- external wall. Source: Poly University Hong Kong, “Case Study: Tseung Kwan O Area 74 Phase 4”, 30 April 2006 <http://www.cse.polyu.edu.hk/~cecspoon/lwbt/Case_Studies/Tseung_ Kwan_0_74/T seung_Kwan_0_74.htm>. Figure 8: Prefabricated components- stairs. Source: Poly University Hong Kong, “Case Study: Tseung Kwan O Area 74 Phase 4”, 30 April 2006 <http://www.cse.polyu.edu.hk/~cecspoon/lwbt/Case_Studies/Tseung_ Kwan_0_74/Tseung Kwan Q 74.htm>. Figure 9: An image shows the luxury of living created by the developers. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 246. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Figure 10: A pool decorated with replicated Corinthian columns to simulate the developers’ version o f‘paradise’. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 247. Figure 11: A series of clustered uniform residential towers being built on top of a podium, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, and Valerie Portefaix, Mapping Hong Kong. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2000) 79. Figure 12: Residential developments with ‘fashionable’ podium, a new residential development named ‘Caribbean Coast’, Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, 2000. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 212-213. Figure 13: A typical residential floor plan with 8 households’ dwelling floor layout. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 201. Figure 14: Housing tower blocks proposed on top of a podium, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 248-249. Figure 15: Uniformed residential buildings, a residential development named ‘Hollywood Villa’, Hong Kong. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, Ezio Manzini, and Valerie Portefaix, HK LAB. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2002) 225. Figure 16: A photo of Diamond Hill Village in contrast with the residential towers in the background, 1990. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, and Valerie Portefaix, Mapping Hong Kong. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2000) 6-12. Figure 17: Photos of Diamond Hill Village taken in late 1980s. Source: Laurent Gutierrez, and Valerie Portefaix, Mapping Hong Kong. (Hong Kong: Map Book, 2000) 6-16. Figure 18: Habraken described his ‘infill’ and ‘support’ principle through sketches. Source: Koos Bosma, Dorine van Hoogstraten and Martijn Vos, Housing for the Millions: John Habraken and the SAR (1960-2000).