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Blixa Bargeld, Einstürzende Neubauten (febbraio 1984)

In “Hong Kong Corner Houses,” the internationally renowned German photographer Michael Wolf continues with his visual quest for the overlooked and underappreciated urban phenomena that give a city its special character.  This time, he draws our attention to Hong Kong’s urban corners and buildings that are often inconspicuous amid the high-rise, high-density urban clutter of Hong Kong.  These ordinary residential-commercial buildings of 1950s and 1960s vintage represent the expression of local Chinese pragmatism and expediency in the economic austerity of early postwar decades.

The photographic presentation captures the inherent paradoxes of their architectural character:  the quiet prominence, attractive banality, and tectonic chaos that give urban Hong Kong its endearing quality.  Complementing the superb photographs of Michael Wolf, “Hong Kong Corner Houses” features an essay and extended captions by two of Hong Kong’s best-known academics in the field of architectural conservation, Drs. Lynne DiStefano and Lee Ho Yin.

— Hong Kong Corner Houses

Michael Wolf is best known for his ‘Architecture of Density’ work in Hong Kong, but another collection from HK University Press showcases some of the city’s more classic heritage.  ‘Progress is often equated with destroying the old and bringing in the new,’ says the German-born photographer…

…They were mostly constructed in the 1950/60s…

…Whilst some of the structures featured below are barely three decades old, the pace of development means such architectural curiosities are becoming an increasingly rare sight…

…This style of building is more common in older areas of Kowloon…

..Illegal structures remain an issue with these low-rise buildings, but many have been destroyed since a clean-up began in the 1990s…

…Most are under 10-floors tall. This was because the law required an elevator to be installed if a building was over 10 storeys, and also due to the presence of the old Kai Tak airport…

…The style is reminiscent of early American modernist skyscrapers – curved facades with strong vertical and horizontal detail…

..The 2008 collection pays homage to this overlooked and underappreciated urban phenomena and photos were once displayed around the MTR system…

Junya Watanabe