Author Description

This dissertation, "Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong: a Case Study of Wing Lee Street and Lui Seng Chun" by Xue, Wang,, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: The conservation approach of "adaptive reuse," as a means to give new life to deteriorated heritage buildings, seems to receive criticism from people of Hong Kong in recent years. While the government tries to promote this conservation treatment to seek a balance between sustainable development and heritage conservation, the residents unsatisfied with the conservation results; and carrying a sense of criticism on government's too much intervention. Studies in recent years indicated different preference on "what to conserve" then a series of adaptive reuse potential model was constructed. However, there is limited research comparing different opinions on "how to conserve" and investigating the adaptive reuse outcomes of current projects in a comprehensive way. Hong Kong is a dynamic, contemporary city with short history. Relics in Hong Kong were often torn down once the economic returns of redevelopment much higher. Besides this, the limitation of resources both land and labor let the heritage buildings face the risks of demolition and redevelopment. "Change or continuity" and "reuse or demolition" have form the central argument for heritage conservation in Hong Kong. This dissertation uses the adaptive reuse of Wing Lee Street and Lui Seng Chun as a study case. Wing Lee Street is a completely government initiated project, while Lui Seng Chun is a product of government and non-government cooperation. Both cases posse