Young Architect
Award 2015
[Shining Slowly]
An Architectural Proposal to Engage Ageing Gracefully & Gratefully
Type: Competition | Architecture
Location: Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong
Organizer: Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Year: 2016
Award: Winner
To our dearest senior citizens,
Welcome to the Brewhouse O.
About Us
When we approach ageing, we always tag it with “problem and burden”. To tackle the situation, we need to approach from a different perspective, a perspective from the senior citizens. And this is how the Brewhouse O is born. The first branch starts at Shek Kip Mei Commercial Centre (Market), and envisions a proposal for this to-be-demolished community heart.
The Brewhouse O believes one can age gracefully & gratefully. Ageing gracefully in terms of the quality of lifestyle and the pride inherited for being a senior in the society. Growing old gratefully in terms of passing knowledge & culture to the younger generations. Ageing should always be considered together with urban regeneration as the population of senior citizens is always denser in older districts due to their mobility. The Brewhouse O sees the potential of promoting urban and social regeneration through giving our senior citizens a door to re-enter the society. “The Next Trend is the Trend of the Elderly”. This is an architectural proposal that tries to open up the existing market structure and proposes space that can be welcoming to the elderly and even be maintained and grown by the elderly. Here, architecture brings in the element of food, attempting to enliven our social asset for an economical & environmental leverage. Facing ageing can be enjoyable, inspiring, and with unexpected fun!
The “O” in the Brewhouse O stands for three elements:
Old – Engaging senior citizens actively.
0 (Zero Floor) – Releasing ground floor space for age-friendly neighbourhood.
0 (Soul) – Combining with mindfulness idea to promote social cohesion & mental health.
Appetizer
Retaining the existing structure of the market, slabs are opened up to form cluster of semi-outdoor pockets.
Slow Lane to be introduced around the complex and to turn slow walking into a mindfulness exercise for mental health. Being slow is not limited for the elderly, but open to everyone in need.
Shining Slowly as a vision to embrace different programmes to be set up along the grid as pop-up structures. The market will become the best test bed for start-ups after retirement and the platform to share lifestyle ideas with the elderly. Let the elderly shine again in their second part of life.
Main Course
Food Farm
Starting a new local food cycle, the unused podium is turned into a food farm landscape. Introducing aquaponics, it provides opportunity for growing fish & farming vegetables together. It can be managed by the community group in the complex and help minor groups to engage with the community actively. This also turns the complex into a social machine that generates job opportunity for the senior.
Community Meal
Going through the food cycle and promoting the notion of sharing. The flexible space in the ground floor will become the venue for community meals. This is not only for a free meal, but a space for social interaction and cohesion.
Social & Architectural Connection
Architecture is a hardware, yet the container for social brewery. In this proposal, demolition is not taken. Regenerating the existing architecture in place gives the same social power for creating an environment for ageing-in-place.
Dessert
Sharing with everyone the pride for being a senior | Age-friendly accessibility to brew social inclusion | Cultural sharing for Fashion, Healthy lifestyle, and Cuisine
We wish you an incredibly delicious day!
Your sincerely,
Brewhouse 0