A R C H I T E C T U R E D E P A R T M E N T CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF H O N G K O N G

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMME 2002-2003 DESIGN REPORT

INTERFACE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND HIP HOP CULTURE 一 PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SQUARE

LAW Wai Sing May 2003

M A N C E S Q U A R E

一 INTERFACE BETWEEN I I AND

page CONTENT 1 00 INSPIRATION

2 01 SYNOPSIS

2 1.1 HIP HOP'S ORIGIN 3 1.2 HIP HOP IN HONG KONG 5 1.3 ANALYSIS - 4 RELATIONS

6 1.4 ANALYSIS - HIP HOP SPACE

7 1.5 INTERVIEWS

12 02 SITE

12 2.1 MONGKOK 13 2.2 SITE

22 03 PROGRAMME

3.1 PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SQUARE 3.2 USERS' RELATIONS 3.3 PROGRAMME LIST

23 04 DESIGN CONCEPT

29 05 PROPOSAL

29 5.1 PLAN

34 5.2 ELEVATION 35 5.3 SECTION

36 5.4 EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE

5.5 INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE

In the first half of 2002, I stayed in Kobe, Japan. During this period, 1 was embodied in Japanese culture. Besides the Japanese traditional house, living style, interior design, polite customer service are impressing to me, the youngsters playing music, break dance, skateboard or bicycle on the street also gave me deep impression. They played at any open space in urban or sub-urban district like the park, entrance of JR station, street side, even the footbridge over the busiest traffic in Osaka. I can find these kinds of Hip Hop activities during weekday or weekend, daytime or night time, school time or off office hours. They did not mind to play before the big group or heavy pedestrian flow. I was impressed by their braveness and the tolerance of community.

In Hong Kong, I could hardly find such phenomenon happened. Although there are still Hip Hop activities in Hong Kong, youngsters only played at night time at some hidden corner of district. And citizens, even I, have bad impression to these group of youngsters and discriminate them.

I was wonder when I compared and found the great difference between two, and it started my curiosity and interest to search out the reason and study Hip Hop culture. Recently I searched for the information about Hip Hop through internet, I was surprised to find that some youngsters did not think that Hip Hop is just a play or a trend, they thought it is a kind of living style and value. This finding gave me a new image to Hip Hop culture and the Hip Hop youngsters. Moreover, Hip Hop's original is a kind of entertainment dissolved in daily life. These preliminary finding made me further enhance my interest to investigate the Hip Hop culture, which is generally misunderstood by public, as my MArch thesis topic.

at Sannomiya JR station front, Kobe

1.1 HIP-HOP'S ORIGIN Hip-hop was started from the Black American community "Bronx" in New York City. They belonged to the bottom social class. They developed daily entertainment into nowadays' vivid Hip-hop culture. It was categorized into 4 types: Emceeing (rapping), Deejaying, Dancing and Graffiti.

70 century, social status of African American was low and their living standard was poor and far below that of white American. In order to retain their self-confirmation and achieve the interaction among the community, they united together and developed out daily entertainment with their inborn special talent -sense of beat and beautiful sound, to release and express their emotion. Eventually, these entertainment developed as today's Hip-hop culture. Hip-hop was then spread to everywhere in America , and finally reached to anywhere of the world.

Therefore, the original characteristics of Hip-hop is positive and open-minded.

-ENTERTAINMENT DISSOLVED IN DAILY LIFE; - M E D I A TO RETAIN SELF-CONFIRMATION - M E D I A TO ENCOURAGE INTERACTION A M O N G COMMUNITY - MEDIA TO BUILD UP SELF-ESTEEM -EXPRESSION OF INDIVIDUALITY -RELAXATION OF EMOTION AND PRESSURE

EMCEEING (RAPPING)

GRAFFITI BREAK-DANCE

1.2.1 CITY N O M A D 游 牧 人 In Hong Kong, Hip-hop has penetrated throughout the territories, although it used to be happened at few hot spots like Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, Wan Choi Gloucester Road Garden and Lockhard Road Playground. They hip-hop youngsters surf around the city and choose anywhere they like to skate or dance. Their properties has summerized as belows:

SURF AROUND THE CITYsurf a r o u n d the c i ty ; NO FIXED LOCATION; SEARCH FOR FAVOURABLE PLACE AS HABITAT; UNSTABLE PERSONALITY LEAD TO HIGH MOBILITY; LEAVE MARK OR VESTIGE BEHIND

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1.2 .2.2 DISCRIMNATION

While Hip hop is getting popular in Hong Kong, besides the advertising agents use it as an approach to promote the products, some welfare association, like Warehouse Teenage Club and Youth Outreach, also use Hip-hop culture as an attraction to the teenage. Moreover, other voluntary groups promote healthy city life by means of hip-hop dancing.

WAREHOUSE TEENAGE CLUB [蒲富青少年中心】，ABERDEEN

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塗鴉?？胁塗污?？ 龟 灣 懇 職 縫 纖 _ _ _ 総 纖 微

； O n 2002's Christmas Eve dncCChristmas night Hong Kong Cultural Centre at 厂 Tsim Sha Tsui was damaged by the youngsters under the high festival ^atmosphere, . ^ ^ ‘ 、 ‘ I -Dunng the、Christmas Eve, many youngsters gqther at Tsim Sha Tsui promenade area to celebrate the festival. They played with the spray snow and tolour spray. And also spray the wall of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Before itwas cleaned up anci the rubbish ;was cleared, the cleaning worker

、picked,up* seven tone rubbish again cifteriChristmas./ The windows, walls, ‘Trees, lamp post and sculpture of the Space Museum and Art Museum, even

the landmark of Tsim Sha Tsui - the Bell Tower, were sprayed intentionally.

I Some titled it with the term "graffiti f塗骑)'’，but I think it is just naught behaviour of youngsters under the exciting mood in festival. Although it involved the behaviour opposing the nght and power, which is similar to the ongin of

“Graffiti: There was not much message brought by the writing, their actions were not well organized and they did it at the presence of the crowd In order to show off themselves. These are not consistent with the behaviour of Graffiti.

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1.3 ANALYSIS -

THERE ARE SOME PLACES AT WHERE HIP-HOP ACTIVITIES USUALLY CAN BE FOUND DURING NIGHT-TIME：

SALISBURY GARDEN AND SPACE MUSEUM 丨 1 I f 二 k “ ^ ^ _ J

GLOUCESTER R O A D G A R D E N

HIP HOP SPACE HEAVY TRAFFIC FLOW MAIN PEDESTRIAN FLOW MINOR PEDESTRIAN FLOW

BASE ON OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS, 4 RELATIONS BETWEEN HIP HOP GROUPS AND PUBLIC / SURROUNDING ARE DEDUCED AND GENERATE AS 4 DIAGRAMS:

HIP HOP SPACE ADJACENT TO THE MAIN URBAN ROUTE

2. PUBLIC PASS THROUGH HIP HOP SPACE

PUBLIC PASS AROUND THE HIP HOP SPACE

PUBLIC KEEP DISTANT TO HIP HOP GROUP

1.4 ANALYSIS - SPACE

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h i l l - dancer HIP HOP DANCING

Interviewee: Hip-hop dance tutor (Jason Wong)

Background of Jason Wong He is a Hip-hop dancing tutor of Warehouse, Aberdeen. He is also a member of SR CREW which is one of the biggest dancing crew in Hong Kong. He played Hip-hop dance for 4-5 years. Background of hip-hop dance Breakdance is one kinds of Hip-hop dance only. Origin of Hip-hop dance is Breakdance. It is a play of American African and poor. It became systematic and organized into different schools and streams. Old schools include Poping, Locking and Breakdance. These three dances are developed from some elements in daily live. Poping is the action of roborts, Locking is developed from the fast action of cartoons and Breakdance includes the action of Chinese Kung FU and athletics. And New school is developed at New York side. Dancers started from the basic steps of old school and added their own style onto it and developed new school style. Nowadays, dancers base on basic steps of new school and added their own style on it and develop new type of Hip-hop dance.

Attraction of Breakdancing He like perform himself and prove that nothing cannot be done by him, he can do what other could do. He does not think there is big difference between Hip-hop dance and other dance like Jazz, Spanish dance, except that there is more freedom and space for own creation. It highly depends on one feeling. It needs your creativity and each one can develop his own style. When he is performing on the stage, he feels happy, high and enjoys the appreciation from the audience. He also enjoys getting all the attention of audience.

Place for Breakdancing He said breakdancing needs an open space with smooth flooring and music to play. He normally plays in disco with Hip-hop music or at the street. It used to be breakdancing concentrated at Tsim Sha Tsui cultural Centre, but now it disperses to everywhere in Hong Kong even in public housing estate. It can be good to development of Hip-hop dance as it penetrated through different corners of community.

Trend among youngsters There are many youngsters in Hong Kong plays breakdance. He comments that the reasons for them to play breakdance is because of good looking and the popular trend..

Opinion on hip-hop complex Generally speaking he supports the proposal on having Hip-hop complex in Hong Kong. He recommends to have stages and studio holding performance of foreign famous dances and functions like parties. He also quotes a hip-hop center in Taiwan as an example that consisted selling store at the upper levels, studio for dancing and plaza for performance at the lower levels.

2.6 Graffiti

Interviewee: Terence Tsang (high-dip student studying Graphic design)

Background of Graffiti (according to Terence) It is culture of American African. They write down their anger on the public space and release their emotion. It is not only a piece of graphic but carrying message, signature and tell other what he has done here. It started by a postman who wrote his name on the household mail box and then people followed this interesting action. Old school's graffiti can be recognized clearly words by words, where as the new school letters merged together but still manageable to be identified. The latest trend of graffiti is the 3 D type style. He comments the best graffiti is the one cannot be recognized by roughly observation but manageable to be identified clearly when you watch it

Feeling on Graffiti He comments Graffiti as a kind of body art, writers enjoy the process of drawing graffiti at the street illegally. They break the law, but scare to be caught by police. They have to speed up but at the same time they

•L — J _ _ _ _ W | | | m want to have more time to make it more details and beautiful. Is a Factoi comments that graffiti becomes the sigh of Hip-hop. Community

‘ center use graffiti font to advertise other Hip-hop related activities. He comments that there is no specially on the format of graffiti like its font type, shadow, colours. Each writers will develop their own font allowing others to recognize.

Types of Graffiti writers There are 2 types of writers who have different reasons writing graffiti: Type ]: want to break the law, challenge themselves, proud of writing graffiti at some place in high security. Type 2: want to produce a nice graphic, proud of having good technique on controlling the spray and drawing without draft.

Opinion on Hip-hop complex If is good to have a place for them practicing Graffiti. Actually some welfare association proposed government allowing some graffiti writing activities at some walls, like the hooding of construction site, in districts. But he afraid that some writers may not support and write on these specified walls since it is violating the original spirit of graffiti.

2.6 I 咖 _ p v s

skiiielioariling ^ Interviewee: F.5 student / about 20 youth with occupation/ less than 2 ' y r s experience in skateboarding

Attraction of Skateboarding / spirit behind skateboarding They like skateboarding because there are vivid ways of playing and it is a challenge for themselves. Skateboard player want to try difficult trick, i.e. series of difficult action, and it gives them satisfaction and happiness if they can finish a difficult trick. And then they try another difficult one to challenge themselves.

Types of skateboarding in HK There are two types of place for playing skateboard, formal skateboard field and informal field. The" formal one is the field with stages of ？ shape or ？ shape. The informal one actually is everywhere in outdoor. They find anything interested and challenging for skateboarding they will stop and try it. Most of them prefer it more.

Place for Skateboarding (TSM cultural centre) They feel there is not much place to play skateboarding in Hong Kong. Even there are few government provided skateboarding field, it is outdated, the facilities are not suitable for skateboarding or too small to play there. There are different reasons for them choosing TSM cultural center to play skateboard.

The flooring is fine enough to sulfur speedily 2. There are planters at suitable height to skate. 3. It is relatively enclosed and hidden, less chance to be complaint

i f i r Rhythm for playing skateboard SUTi They said they will play skateboard when there is leisure. Most

• i•费 probably the skateboarding activities happen at weekend like Friday r 穩 ’ night and Saturday.

”臂、When to play when nothing to do, most probably weekend

Opinion on Hip-hop complex Both appreciate and hope to have a place designed properly for skateboarding. Now they usually complaint by policemen when they are playing in some public parks. They feel that they play like a mouse crossing the street or like a thief. When they find a place good enough for skateboarding, the place will be prohibited for skateboarding by adding some barrier by the policemen. One also demands a indoor to play skateboard as it allows them to play even it is raining. Relationship with communify The passers-by normally scare to walk close to skater. Skateboarding relatively more low profile then the breakdancing. They do not want the public watching them. They only delight the appreciation from

i i S other players.

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w SINCE HIP HOP IS THE CULTURE OF YOUTH IN HK, SITE IS SELECTED WITHIN MONGKOK AREA AS MONGKOK IS ONE OF THE AREA IN HK WITH HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF YOUTH

NOT MUCH HIP HOP ACTIVITIES IN CURRENT MONGKOK AREA

PUBLIC OPEN SPACE IS UNDER PROVISION IN MONGKOK AREA

traffic / pedestr ian

shopping hub

enter ta inment

pornography

youth

ladys，street

2.2 SITE 2.2,1. URBAN VOID

_

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A. EXISTING CARPARK

2.2.2. ADJACENT TO M A I N URBAN ROUTE AND PEDESTRIAN FLOW

哲皆老街

LITTLE PARK

往新界 TO NEW TERRITORIES

新世紀廣場 GRAND CENTURY PLAZA (BIG SCALE, ORGANIZED SI RETAIL DEVELOPMENT)

東鐵旺角火車站 MONGKOKKCRC STATION

攻皆老銜

2.2.3. “LINKAGE” CHARACTER OF THE SITE Mongkok KCRC station - - - S i t e - - - mongkok centre

big scale shopping ___ ^ ^ ^ _ small scale G/F deve lopment _ “ _ 「etails shops

M O N G K O K C (SMALL SACLE, TINY RETAIL SHOPS)

往九龍 TOTSIMSHATSDI

2.2.4. EXISTENCE OF HIP HOP

pedestrian route 2

skateboard route at night

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wall with graffiti

5.4

building height The building height surround the selected site is low a n d there is also a w ide Argyle Street at the from, the site becomes the most o p e n e d area in the district. Not only it can enjoy distant view, the future project at the site c a n be highly visible from distance.

Is

higher than 20/F

9 - 20/F

5-8/F

4/F

building commerdia type 騰

商業大廈

新型住宅大廈

government uti

new residentia 〇wer

post-war resictel bui

youth centre

p-war esidentia ouilding

schoo

land use

_

residential + retails

commercial + retails

residential

government utility

school

KCRC

church I temple

youth centre

open space

Except the mjor roads, most of the area in Mongkok falls in these 2 zonings. Next to them is overnment / Institution / Community? (GIC) that takes almost 10% of the area. Only 5.5% of the area is ded ica ted to pen space?

residential & commerical Most of the buildings in Mongkok are residential and commerical mixed use, which is having its lower floors as retails or other commercia l use and the upper floors as residential.

G/F The most common types of retails at G/F are the fashion, local tea ca fe (茶餐廳)，snack retailing, sport shoes, camera, etc.

2-4/F The usage of 2-4/F in the residential buildings is quite ambigious. Some are residential while some are commercial use, such as salon, book store, household electrical shop, camera and even pornography.

B u s s t o p 1

pedestrian 喝V^C 丨、 ^ B In) B C C e S S & m i n i - b u s

Circulation,

R§Wok K C R C

Some of passengers take off from KCRC, bus, taxi and mini-bus walk to Mongkok and pass through the site. Passers-by through route 1. are the passengers of KCR. KCR： 252 ppl others: 56 ppl (recorded at 14-1500 Sat.)

2. Most of the passengers will walk through the covered Walkway along the station platform roof top and access Mongkok.

Route 1, flow pattern and quantity

No. of people taking route 1 in 1 hour weekend 308 (to Mongkok)(84.6%), 56 (to KCRC)(15.4%) weekday 200 (to Mongkok)(86.2%), 32 (to KCRC)(13.8%)

so the upward flow and the downward flow proportion is similar througout different day of week.

No. of people taking different transportation to Mongkok through route 1 in hour

From KCRC From Bus, mini-bus, taxi

252 (81.8%) 56 (18.2%)

Therefore, in the flow through route 1 PPl taking KCRC to MK : taking others transportion to MK : walk to KCR =4.5 : 1 : 1

Flow pattern: since the passers-by passing through the route 1 mainly took off from KCRC, the flow pattern through the site is highly depend on the daily travel pattern of KCRC:

Period mins Monday

to Saturday

peak hour 0 7 0 0 - 1000 4 Monday to

Saturday

peak hour

1700-2000 4

Monday to

Saturday Non-peak hour 6-7 Sunday and public holiday 5-8

This road is mainly used by taxi, bus and mini-bus.

As the site is located at the junction of Argyle Street and 丫im Po Fong Street, there is heavy traffic passing around.

2. Since there is a set of traffic light at this junction, it prolongs the time that passengers stay at the junction.

3. During the peak hour everyday, serious traffic jam happen along the Argyle Street especially at this juction, most of these vehicles are bus filled with passengers.

Therefore, this site is highly visible to the passengers in the transportation.

fix钱赃

RELATIONS

0600 1200 1800 2400 ？N. CURVE OF HIP HOP YOUNGSTER IS DEDUCED FROM OBSERVATION A N D INTERVIEW OF THE HIP HOP YOUNGSTERS

HIP HOP YOUNGSTER

PEDEDSTRIAN

#2 . CURVE OF. THE ELDERLY IS DEDUCED FROM THE ELDERLY QUESTIONAIRE A N D ACTIVITY M A P D O N E IN THE ___ RESEARCH ABOUT OPENSPACE OF PUBLIC HOUSING — ESTATE.

#3. CURVE OF PEDESTRIAN IS DEDUCDED FROM THE SCHEDULE OF KCRC SINCE MOST OF THE PEDESTRIANS ARE THE PASSENGERS OF KCRC.

ELDERLY AND HIP HOP YOUNGSTER USE THE SQUARE IN OPPOSITE TIME ZONE.

PEDESTRIAN AND HOiP HOP YOUNGSTERS ALMOST USE THE SQUARE AT OPPOSITE TIME ZONE BUT THEY M A Y APPEAR TOGETHER AT 2100-2400.

3.3 PROGRAMME THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE SQUARE ARE: 1. CIRCULATION SPACE 2. OPENSPACE SPACE 3. PERFORMANCE SPACE

THE SPACES ALLOCATION: DAYTIME 1. Circulation 2. Kiosk Zone 3. Cafe 4. Event Hall 5. DJ Pracive Rm. 6. Dancing Studio 7. Graffiti Gallery 8. Public Openspace 9. Viewing Gallery

NIGHT ].Circulation 2. Kiosk Zone 3. Disco 4. Cafe 5. DJ Pracive Rm. 6. Dancing Studio 7. Graffiti Gallery 8. Performance stage 9. Viewing gallery

3.1 Based on the special character of the site, i would propose an elevated public SQUARE which acts as a bridge linking up the KCRC Station and Mongkok area, and. in which openspace and performance space is provided.

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THE SQUARE CONNECTING K C R C S T A T I O N A N D M O N G K O K HAS H I G H CIRCULATION FLOW.

CIRCULATION

THE STEPS AND THE S L A B A C T S A S AUDIENCE SEATS AND PERFORMANCE STAGE F O R T H E B A N D GATHERING

BAND SHOW

GRAFFITI ACTS AS THE DECORATION OF THE SQUARE.

GAIIERY AND CAFE

THE L O N G I N C L I N I N G R A M P IS THE P U B L I C OPENSPACE DURING THE DAYTIME AND BECOMES A SKATEBOARDING RAMP AT MID-NIGHT

SKATEBOARDING RAMP

THE AUDIENCE SEATING OF THE EVENT HALL C A N B E C O M E A D A N C I N G STAGE FOR HIP HOP DANCE

DANCING STAGE

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