Heritage conservation must be seen in context, architect says
Roger Wu says deciding how to protect historic sites is all about people's priorities and values - should heritage come before redevelopment?
"Architecture is about the spirit of a place, which can be summarised in three words: context, context, context," says Roger Wu Tsan-sum.
Wu should know. Having spent 17 years at John McAslan + Partners in London, a top British architectural firm, the Hong Kong-born professional is well acquainted with how Britain's interest in history - rather than the conservation of heritage sites per se - has shaped its heritage efforts. And context is precisely what Hong Kong needs to recognise and embrace at the start of its long learning curve on heritage.
"[London] has its own socio-economic and historical context and how it has developed … with the resultant culture," Wu said. "All these form the very root of a conservation project."
The British saw great value in conserving a heritage site by relating to its long history and its previous residents, he observed.
It is with respect and pride the British people ascribe to relics
"It is with respect and pride the British people ascribe to relics. Not that the people in Hong Kong have no respect for heritage. But their value system is different and many of them see more value in redevelopment than keeping an old building. In short, it's got its own context."