Located beneath the mountains facing the Kuk Po wetland along the coast of the Sha Tau Kok Sea, Kai Choi School and its annex block are ready to be re-opened for their new use.

After three years of research, design and construction, the annex block has been transformed into Kuk Po Common, a community public space that integrates architectural conservation and design with culture, art, community, landscape and ecology.

At the start of the visit, Professor Wang Weijen will share with us the process of revitalizing and renovating the Kai Choi School and its annex block, both of which were built in 1963 and have been abandoned since 1993. The talk will be followed by a tour around Kuk Po, lead by Ms. Ashley Ma, who will explain how the renovation respects the cultural importance of the site while integrating new design elements that have transformed the space into a common facility that can be enjoyed by the public. You will see how this project also serves the community as a collective memorial to the original inhabitants of Kuk Po.

Tour Rundown

09:00 – 10:00

Central or Admiralty Pickup and Transport to Luk Keng

10:00 – 10:30

Short Hike/Walk to Kuk Po

10:30 – 12:30

Introduction to the design, research and conservation of the Kuk Po project and Tour of Kuk Po Common and Kai Choi

12:30 – 13:30

Hakka Lunch

13:30 – 14:00

Hike back to Luk Keng

14:00 – 15:00

Coach back to Central or Admiralty

About the Speakers

Professor Wang Weijen, FHKIA, HKIUD, AIA, Director of Wang Weijen Architecture

Wang Weijen was an associate at TAC San Francisco before he joined the University of Hong Kong in 1994, where he served as the Head of Department from 2012 to 2016. He was the 2023 Howard Freeman Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley and has also been a Visiting Professor at the University of Montreal, MIT and the National Jiaotong University, Taiwan. Weijen is the Editorial Director of HKIA Journal OCCUPY, was the Curator of the 2007 Hong Kong Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism and Chief-Curator for the Hong Kong Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale,

He received his BS from the National Taiwan University and both his MS and MArch from UC Berkeley, Weijen is currently the Andrew KF Lee Professor in Architectural Design and Director of the Center for Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, at the University of Hong Kong.

Ashley Ma, Exhibition Executive

Ashley Ma received her Bachelor of Arts (Architectural Studies) in 2022 from The University of Hong Kong. She has actively participated in community service projects - such as furniture making for the disadvantaged - and been a core member of the HKU Student WZQ (Bridge to China) Team. Ashley gained valuable practical experience through internships at Rural Urban Framework, DOMAT Community & Architecture, and has been a part-time Laser Cutting Service Assistant at the Fabrication Lab. She spent her year-out at AD+RG Architecture Design and Research Group Limited, working on project administration and design works.

Currently, as a Research Assistant at the Centre of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism at HKU, Ashley focuses on research, drawing production, and exhibition preparation with a special interest in the preservation of rural and traditional architecture.

Kuk Po Guided Tour