CWLane Reading Space is a pilot project aiming at reconnect people and underutilised open spaces by using temporary architectural interventions. In addition to exploring alternative solutions that could positively impact the community, the project seeks to question the rules, limits, and guidelines present in these government-managed spaces.

Hong Kong is a world-class metropolis characterized by an extreme form of vertical urbanism. In this intense urban context, public open spaces are very limited, especially in old urban areas. Furthermore, most of these spaces were created by adopting a rigid, top-down approach by applying standard solutions to a variety of different sites and urban conditions. These valuable but often underutilized open spaces do little to serve residents’ needs, as they neither facilitate social interaction nor encourage community activity.

The project responds to the need of having high-quality open spaces that can become new gathering places for the people living in this dense urban area by making use of existing but dysfunctional public open spaces. The bright red color and a white geometric pattern used for the project intends to capture the attention of passersby and invite them to uncover and use this hidden and underutilized pocket space in one of the oldest district of Hong Kong.

The wooden structure of the tribune was partially pre-assembled at the School of Architecture of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and brought in situ where it was built and completed within three days by students, volunteers and local residents. The project consists of a series of steps and platforms that offer a flexible and multiple seating spaces. The concept was inspired by the stairs and ladder streets that are scattered throughout this area of the city and represent an important part of Hong Kong’s cultural landscape heritage. On its side, the tribune incorporates a sequence of shelves for storing over 350 titles related to architecture, design, history, philosophy, education, and a wide range of children’s books. The idea of transforming the area into a reading space emerged from the various discussions did during the community engagement process. This community library has been self-managed by its users and residents for over 6 weeks who were invited to swap their preloved books.

Author: Prof. Francesco Rossini
Project Team: Francesco Rossini, Tongyun Zhu Terrie
Community Engagement:
Mak Kwun Ling, Chan Sze Luek Charlie
Project Collaborators: Luca Cadili, Gabriele Cesaria, Giovanna Santoro
Funding: UGC, Research Grant Council Hong Kong
Supporting Organisations:
The School of Architecture, CUHK
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library
Very Hong Kong