The century-old service reservoir on Bishop Hill in Sham Shui Po that was set for demolition has revealed itself to be a very special piece of construction work. The hidden architecture – close to 100 rusty granite block pillars, along with brick arches and concrete vaults – are not commonly seen in Hong Kong. This is a case worthy of being studied by students pursuing a construction-related programme, who can learn about the architecture, the structures and the construction materials used. Although many of the facilities are rather aged yet still functioning well today, the Water Supplies Department may not have found them really invaluable and interesting. However, people from all walks of life seem to think otherwise. Having conducting research work on the Tai Tam waterworks scheme for years, my team has found that it is not just the built facilities that are amazing but also that the people involved and their stories are truly interesting. To avoid a similar recurrence, I would suggest that the Water Supplies Department set up a committee to carry out a preliminary assessment of its facilities before evaluation by the Antiquities Advisory Board. Demolition U-turn a triumph for heritage-minded public Judging from the public response to the delivery of the waterworks research findings, it wouldn’t be surprising if many academics, historians and professionals are interested to join such a task force. Dr Poon Sun Wah, adjunct professor, Department of Real Estate and Construction, the University of Hong Kong