Living in the Modern Past // A Classical Obsession

I have always believed that Hong Kong is a city which prides itself in being at the forefront of technology, innovation and development. This towering concrete jungle in which I grew up has however seen a dramatic shift in its approach to style and in the marketing of high-density apartments. 

A string of advertisements for upscale high-density apartments has popped up recently and it isn’t difficult to tell why these would seem hard to swallow for any architect who believes in architecture of innovation and meaning. Here’s one example, One Silver Sea, located in Ma On Shan, a northern suburb of Hong Kong.

Splendid as those mountains seem in the beginning (though, I can confirm, they don’t look like that in real life), and as enticing as the rendition of “Time to Say Goodbye” is, I can’t help but notice the ghastly neo-classical tendencies, supposedly “inspired by Europe’s great seaside resorts”, but essentially an exercise in plagiarism. Sadly, the horror continues, Hong Kong apartment design goes further, reaching a point where the apartment isn’t the selling point, but merely the clubhouse. 
 

Regrettably named The Palazzo, what is being advertised in Cantonese as “thoroughly expressing the core of European architecture and design values” is really just a blantant recreation in tasteless grandeur, columns mixed in with a careless splatter of materials and lighting. Glistening, glossy and fake. 

At this point however, I think I will stop with the barrage of insults, though to mis-quote Shakespeare in this situation, they flow trippingly from the tongue. Instead, I want to consider why this is happening in Hong Kong, why developers have suddenly taken on Classical architecture with such passion, pasting it on every surface. 

Initially, yes, I believe that they are attempting to validate a perceived sense of luxury, by appealing to the notion of ‘imported styles’, something seen as inherently possessing elegance and wealth. Golden Corinthian Capitals would certainly exude a sense of grandeur in a city where social status is intricately linked to wealth. Regardless of respecting Vitruvian principles of proportion and scale therefore, a column seemly transported from Rome, constructed in marble located in the lobby would fulfil this hunger for an imported architectural style. 

But can financial gain really be the only principle at work here? I believe not, and I therefore ask, why in the first place is an imported Classical column being potentially interpreted as wealth and luxurious? I believe that underlying this continuous need for copying classical styles a search for a missing part of Hong Kong identity. 

Entrance to 'Ther Hermitage' in Kowloon, Hong Kong

Entry Lobby of 'The Palazzo' in Fo Tan, Hong Kong

While some people are perhaps less likely to reminisce over British Colonial rule, it is in my opinion a significant, undeniable and memorable part of Hong Kong’s development and heritage. The great property developers, Swire and Jardin Matheson, the great bankers, Standard Chartered and HSBC, all hail from British Colonisation. I therefore think this need to reminisce, is despite a level of vulgarity, a call for a history Hong Kong has lost. Hong Kong has of course lost this history because an exercise in urbanisation has left the city with barely any historical architecture. Chinese and European styles alike were torn down, with shining shards of steel and glass taking the place of old timber temples and sandstone structures. The result? Hong Kong yearns for any trace of its past, and in an attempt to recreate memories, Classicism has been re-introduced, with much popularity. 

I don’t believe this copy-cat architecture stems merely from dictatorial developers and bad design or bad interpretation of Classicism. I think it is a form of historical nostalgia which some people yearn for an architectural past which sadly is now preserved only in photographs and memories. 

The solution however should not be in plastering concrete walls with plaster columns, but should involve greater integration of old and new, more focus on preserving heritage rather than floor space ratios. Where history has been lost, we should categorise and more effort should be taken to innovate rather than plagiarise. I would rather see innovative new approaches to apartments and clubhouse facilities which are daring, bold and can generate new user experiences, rather than simply attempting to recreate the Roman baths of Europe. 

Sadly, this personal dream for an architecture of human experience is still some distance away for Hong Kong. Until then though, I leave you with the so-called "palace in the city" apartments of my beloved home city, The Hermitage, with melodramatic backing music, from that wonderful Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, The Phantom of the Opera.