Liberal Studies Teaching Kit for Senior Secondary Curriculum

Hong Kong Today

Culture in Vernacular
Architecture
[Student notes]

Organizer Sponsor Research Team

Contents

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Preamble
Learning plan i

Lesson 1: Culture in Vernacular Architecture

1.1 Vernacular Architecture for People 01

1.2 Case Studies: Various Cultures in Vernacular Architecture of Hong Kong 04
1.2.1 Tong Lau or Tenement Houses 04
1.2.2 Stilt Houses 07
1.2.3 Walled Village 11
Exercise: Examine a nearby Vernacular Building 13

Summary, Key words and Further reading 15

Disclaimer
Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise
take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) do not
reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
© 2012 Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Topic 01
Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Major teaching areas Interdisciplinary teaching areas

Liberal Studies: Module 2 Hong Kong Today Design and Applied Technology:

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

• Theme 1: Quality of Life • Strand 1 Design and Innovation
• Theme 3: Identity • Strand 2 Technological Principles
• Strand 3 Value and Impact
Related teaching areas
Liberal Studies: Module 5 Public Health
• Theme 2: Science, Technology and Public Health

Learning objectives
• To distinguish the difference between vernacular and professionally designed architecture
• To understand the characteristics of different typologies of vernacular architecture in Hong Kong
• To understand the connection and interplay between architecture, lifestyle, social context and
environment

Learning plan
Lesson Contents
Lesson 1 • 1.1 Introductory photos of vernacular and professional architecture
• 1.1.1 Concept and definition of vernacular architecture
• 1.2 Case studies focusing on three types of vernacular architecture
and their connections to residents’ lifestyle, social context and
environment
• 1.2.1 Tong Lau or Tenement House
• 1.2.2 Stilt House
• 1.2.3 Walled Village

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Lesson 1
Culture in Vernacular Architecture

1.1 Vernacular Architecture for People

Are these buildings vernacular architecture? Why or why not?

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

1
3 2
4

Tick the boxes and explain your answers:

1. Palazzi of Venice, Italy

2. Schröder House, Utrecht, The Netherlands

3. Tenement house, Hong Kong

4. Houses in Cinque Terre, Italy

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 1

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

4

Tick the boxes and explain your answers:

1. Tulou, Fujian, China

2. IFC 2, Hong Kong

3. Bamboo theatre, Hong Kong

4. Houses in Suzhou, China

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Some would simply define vernacular architecture as ‘architecture without architects’.
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright defined vernacular architecture as ‘folk building growing in
response to actual needs, fitted into the environment by people who knew no better than to fit them
with native feeling’.

Characteristics of vernacular architecture are as below:

• Use of traditional or locally available construction skills

• Use of simple technology and commonly available materials
• ‘New structure with old techniques’ as experiment and innovation are more costly than
repetition
• Evolved slowly through numerous experimental trials and errors instead of specifically
designed by a professional
• Functionalistic and simple design which fulfils basic needs of the people

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

• Born of people’s needs, culture, tradition and adapted to local climate

The stilt houses in Ma Wan are examples of

vernacular architecture. They were not designed
by architects, but instead were developed slowly
through time by the local people to adapt to the
environment and their living style, and were built
with the most handy materials.

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1.2 Case Studies: Various Cultures in Vernacular Architecture of Hong Kong

1 2

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

2

1.2.1 Tong Lau or Tenement Houses - architecture for a dense population

What is Tong Lau? 1. A series of Tong Lau at Shanghai Street

The history of tenement houses or Tong Lau (唐樓) dates 2. Architectural details of Tong Laus at 10-12 Li Chit
back to the mid-19th century. The ground floor of a tenement Street (built in 1920s). The Tong Laus have been
house is occupied by a shop while the mezzanine and demolished and only one of the façade was
other storeys are for living. Multiple tenants usually shared conserved after renovation.
one flat due to the shortage of living space at the time.
Eventually this grew to be one of the most common building
types in Hong Kong, South China and Southeast Asia, with Media Corner
particular stylistic flourishes in each place.
Hong Kong Stories (Series 15) -
When Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842, the
Our History Episode 10 - A Roof Over Our
population of Chinese immigrants grew quickly. Tong Lau
Heads 20-3-2011 Duration: 22 min.
were the quick and convenient answer to the housing
problem. Chinese version
http://pr o gr am m e.r thk.or g.hk/
r thk/tv /pr o gr am m e.php?nam e=tv /
Life in a shophouse hkstories15& d=2011-03-
20& p=5013& e=134356& m =e pisod e
Most prewar (built before 1945) Tong Laus are 3 to 4-storey
high while later tenement houses after 1950 have 8 storeys English version
at most. Early Tong Laus were long and narrow, accessed http://pr o gr am m e.r thk.hk/r thk/tv /p r o g r amme.
by a long, dark staircase without any natural lighting and php?nam e=tv /hkstories_ourhistor y&d =2 0 1 2 -
ventilation. There was also no provision of elevators and 01-25& p=5227& e=165561& m =e p iso d e
toilets. or
http://e v ideo.lib.hku.hk/play.php?vid =4 6 9 2 6 5 4
What is the architectural style of Tong Lau?
Hong Kong Tong Laus are unique in their details which
display a mix of Chinese and Western styles. Very often,
Tong Laus have balconies or verandahs which project over
the pedestrian pavement. Kee lau (騎樓) type tenement
houses have columns to support the projecting floors,
forming a continuous arcade on street level.

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How were Tong Laus built?
Early Tong Laus were supported by brick or stone load-bearing walls
and beams.
1. Blue (grey) Canton bricks were chosen for the walls as they
were cheaper than the stronger red bricks.
2. The ground floor was laid with Canton tiles.
3. The upper floor was made of Chinese timber floor planks
supported by timber rafters.
4. The pitched roof was clad with unglazed clay tiles.
Architectural details of Tong Laus at 1168
Tong Laus after 1935 were built in reinforced concrete. Canton Road (built in 1940s)

Common Materials in Tong Laus

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Canton Brick Canton Tile Timber Planks Clay Roof Reinforced Concrete
Tile
How do Tong Laus adapt to the climate of Hong Kong? Effects of building design on lives of people
To accommodate different families resulted from the influx
Despite the cramped living condition and poor design of immigrant workers, each flat was divided into front
of the earliest Tong Laus, they are built to respond to the room, middle room, end room (Fig. 1) or even smaller
climate. cubicles.
1. High ceiling (approximately 4-5m high) Rooms were separated by partitions which were
2. large windows, built lower than the ceiling height to leave a gap for
3. balconies, and ventilation since there was no window in the whole flat
4. verandahs except at the front of the building. As partitions were thin
and without any soundproofing, privacy was a critical
are features which help create a well-lit and well- issue. Hygiene condition was also poor as all tenants had
ventilated interior as a solution to the hot and humid to share the only bathroom and kitchen.
climate of Hong Kong.
Section
3

1 1

1 4

2
5

2
1
6 6
Section
Ground Floor Plan Section Elevation

Fig. 1 Typical plan, section and elevation of Tong Lau at 10-12 Li Chit Street in 1920s.
Legend: 1. cookhouses 2. shop 3. smoke hole through the roof and floor 4. cockloft or platform above tenement cabins
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5. tenement cabins 6. street in front of building
 Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture
Tong Lau at Wing Lee Street with ventilated staircases

What are the problems in early Tong Laus

In the early days of Tong Lau, there was no regulation on its
design. The buildings were tightly packed, built side to side and
back to back without any space for natural ventilation and light
could not penetrate into the interior and the building blocks
were long and narrow (Fig. 1).

How did the government regulate the Tong Laus design?

Prompted by the outbreak of bubonic plague in the over-
crowded tenement block quarters around Tai Ping Shan Street,
Sheung Wan in 1894, the government finally implemented the
first buildings’ control under the Public Healthy and Buildings
Ordinance in 1903 to regulate the design of Tong Laus in order to
ensure the quality of construction and living space.
1. Improvement of Tong Laus
A back lane and open space had to be provided, which means
that more space had to left between buildings. Building height
was restricted to the width of the street it was facing to ensure
enough daylight penetrate, and building depth was limited to
12m to improve natural lighting condition of the interior.
2. Official Buildings’ regulation on Tong Laus
The statutory regulation over Tong Lau design was further
strengthened with the Buildings Ordinance 1935. Allowable
building depth was further reduced to 11m. Adequate light and Fig. 2 Typical floor plan of a Tong Lau designed in
ventilation was to be provided at every storey on every staircase, compliance to Buildings Ordinance 1935.
hence caused the emergence of a new type of Tong Lau with a
© Ferdinand Cheng / H. Y. Lee
naturally lit and ventilated common staircase (Fig. 2).
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 Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture
1.2.2 Stilt Houses - architecture for a traditional lifestyle
What is stilt house? p Stilt houses in Tai O. Note the pitched roofs, the multi-
Stilt houses, a type of housing elevated above the water use wooden decks and access to boats by ladders
on stilts, can be found in fishing villages of Tai O and Ma
Wan. They were built by the Tanka, a group of people who
have lived in South China provinces including Guangdong
and Fujian for centuries, and they were also one of the
earliest habitants in Hong Kong. This building typology
has gone through a long evolution to suit the habits and
lifestyle of its creator.

Why did the Tanka people build stilt houses?

The Tanka people live on boats and rely mainly on fishing
and salt production for a living. There is no standard
definition of what ethnicity the Tanka is. It is however
believed that they were a mix of Han and other southern
races who fled to the sea due to war or exile. The stilt
house typology in Tai O was gradually developed around
200 years ago when the Tai O Tanka people moved into
houses as family sizes grew too big to be accommodated
p Lives of people in the 1960s, before the fire in 2000
by the traditional boathouses.
whole structure would shift away during serious floods.
How were stilt houses built? In the 50s, Tai O locals began to take wood from disused
The earliest stilt houses were constructed in a barrel- fishing boats for the construction of stilt houses. This
shape resembling a boat with wooden planks, stone stilts reddish brown ironwood (坤甸木) from South China is
and palm leaves, while later houses were made of metal strong and resistant to water erosion, and therefore
sheeting, wooden planks and stilts. The barrel form was widely used in boat making. Villagers found it to be the
taken over by the pitched roof and houses expanded from perfect material for the local environment.
one-storey to two-storey high.
After a devastating fire in 2000, Tai O saw the birth of a
new type of stilt house. New materials including plaster
Local residents found the earliest structures were not
strong enough. The stone pillars collapse easily and the
and aluminium sheets were used. 07
 1 2
How do stilt houses evolve? 1&2: An early vaulted stilt house on concrete
supports and a close up view of a vaulted
1. Spatial arrangement roof. Note how the roof is repaired with handy
Houses belonging to different households often cluster along materials.
a common wooden walkway which stretches from land to
sea. Facilities such the kitchens and the shared bathrooms

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

are placed along this axis. The house at the end of the
walkway and right above the water is built with a wooden
deck. Fishing boats are tied right underneath and are easily
accessible by a ladder which stretches from the deck to the
water.

2. Structural improvement
An early vaulted stilt house is divided into two rooms while
a newer house has 3 compartments on the ground floor and
bedrooms on the upper floor. Cross bracing was also used to
improve structural stability of the stilt supports.

3. Reconstruction of the vernacular village

p An open kitchen next to a common corridor. Behind
After the fire in 2000, affected residents were allowed
this kitchen shed are a bathroom, a shed for
to rebuild their houses. Despite the need to apply for
storage and other stilt houses.
reconstruction licence and to comply to fire safety
requirements, the reconstruction process was organic and
flexible as typical in vernacular architecture. The residents
communicated closely with the builders, and the resulting
new houses were all customised to the owners’ needs.

p A new generation stilt house with cross-braced wooden p Wooden stilts with concrete footings 08
stilt supports and aluminium boards
Evolution of stilt house: 4 generations

Architecture is always changing in response to the

needs of people. Such intense integration with
people’s lives is particularly evidenced in vernacular
buildings such as stilt houses. Vernacular architecture Bamboo
may appear unprofessional and not the most strips
aesthetically pleasant, but it evolves through time to
fit into people’s life and is therefore a good solution Compartment
for its users.

First generation
• Bamboo arch roof
• Wooded structural framework
• Circular stone plinth Stone
Section plinth
• Single storey rectangular compartment
First generation of stilt house
Wooded
Second generation
purlin
• Wooden truss roof
• Wooden structural framework Wood truss

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

• Slender stone plinth
• Single storey rectangular compartment

Third generation
• Wooden frame roof
• Wooden structural framework
• Wood pillar as base support
• Multi-storey compartment with semi-open deck Stone
Section plinth
Second generation of stilt house
Fourth generation
• Wooden frame roof Roof
• Wooden structural framework framing
• Further division of space
• Balcony over front deck
• Wood pillar protected with concrete plinth

Front deck
Section
Wood pillar

Third generation of stilt house

Front deck

Structures
for kitchen
Section sanitation
Wood pillar
protected
with concrete
Fourth generation of stilt house plinth 09
 Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture
p Multi-purpose outdoor space is important for the
fishermen families. The deck is where the family
gather, prepare for work and for meals, as well as
to relax.

How do stilt houses adapt to lifestyle and needs?

1. Terrace
The terrace side facing the water is regarded as the
front/head (棚頭) of the stilt house. As there was
insufficient electricity supply in the past, a lot of
activities such as drying of salted fish, net knitting
p Mr Wong’s house rebuilt with red roof and in and cooking were conducted under the sun and such
resemblance to houses in Jiangnan (江南) - an outdoor space was important.
example of vernacular architecture adapted to
individual taste and combination of traditional 2. Personal taste
building technology. When residents rebuilt the houses that were lost in the
fire of 2000, they worked closely with the builders to
make sure the new houses suit their individual needs.
Such interaction, flexibility, adaptation according to
needs, environmental condition and resources are all
essential elements in vernacular architecture which
modern, ‘professionally designed’ architecture often
lacks.

p A new house with aluminium sheeting, aluminium

windows and a large deck
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 Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture
1

1.2.3 Walled Village - architecture for defence p The watch tower at the corner
of Shan Ha Wai (also known as
What is walled village? Tsang Tai Uk) (山下圍，又稱曾大
Early residents of the New Territories were mainly 屋), Shatin. It is believed that the
farmers from South China. In an agricultural society, fork-shaped feature on the ‘pot-
people lived with their own clan (氏) in a cluster of ear-shaped’ walls (鑊耳形山牆)
farm houses in South China architectural style. is a symbolic device to drive evil
spirits and bad luck away.
The main entrance, assembly hall and the ancestral
hall aligns to a central axis. As the clan expanded,
side houses were built around the older houses but
the symmetrical layout was retained. Between the
houses were courtyards and lanes for circulation
and which also allowed natural ventilation in the
hot wet climate of Hong Kong. Some walled villages
even have watch towers at the corners and moats
around the wall.

Why were walled villages developed?

The history of Hong Kong’s walled village dates back
to Ming and Qing dynasties. There are 2 types of
walled villages - the Punti (本地) and the Hakka (
客家). In Ming and Qing dynasties, Punti villagers
began to build walls around their houses to protect
themselves from pirates’ attack. In late Qing, Hakka p Wooden shutter for security
people began to settle in the New Territories. Due to
their different culture, language and customs, they
also built walls to protect the village against rival
clans.

How were walled villages built?

Houses in a walled village were constructed with
traditional materials such as stone, bricks, timber
and Chinese tiles. Strong metal gates and wooden
shutters were installed at the main entrances. 11
 Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture
Fig. 8 Master layout plan of the walled village Tsang Tai Uk
A

3 2

5
B 5 B

A
Ground Floor Plan Section AA
A

2 3

3
B 3 4 B
3 4

A
First Floor Plan Section BB

Fig. 8 Plans and sections of a house in the walled village Tsang Tai Uk (plans and sections)

Legend: 1. Dinning room 2. Living room 3. Bedrooms 4. Kitchen 5. Skylight

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 [Exercise]
Identifying and examining a vernacular building nearby

1. Identify a vernacular building nearby

Students should identify a vernacular building near the school or in their neighbourhood.

Type of the vernacular architecture:

Location:

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Photograph of chosen building here Year of construction:

Materials:

Current use:

2. What do you notice in the surrounding environment?

What is the population density in the area?

What are the historical and current development in the area?
Are there any physical constraints?

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3. Suggest one solution of the vernacular building in response to the people’s life and the
environment.
Photo of the feature 1

Photograph of chosen building here

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Physical What is the physical feature?
Features

What problem is the physical feature responding?

4. Report your findings to the class and conclude by answering these questions:
- What lifestyle does this vernacular building represent?
- How could it improve the quality of living?
- Can you see signs of the building’s evolution over time?

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Summary
• Vernacular buildings are designed by everyday people who use and live in them. The building methods
and designs have gone through a long process of evolution in response to culture, climate and
technology.

• The Tong Lau / tenement house is a building type popular in South China from late 19th century to
1960s. The ground floor of a Tong Lau is occupied by a shop while the other stories are residential
flats.

• A stilt house is a building type created by the Tanka people who rely mainly on fishing for their
livelihood. The house is made of wood with metal sheeting, and is supported above the water by
wooden stilts.

• Walled villages are found throughout Southern China. They are formed of a group of houses
enclosed by a protective wall, and were usually built by Hakka or Punti farmers.

Key words

Liberal Studies | Culture in Vernacular Architecture

Vernacular architecture
Tenement house
Stilt house
Walled village

Further reading
1. 《 大澳 － 尋回昔日的香江 》 網站
http://www2.hkedcity.net/citizen_files/aa/ce/my400897/public_html/index.htm
2. 張兆和、廖迪生《香港地區史研究之二：大澳》，香港：三聯書店（香港）有限公司 2006。
3. 陳翠兒、蔡宏興 《 空間之旅 － 香港建築百年 》，三聯書店 2005。
4. Yeung, Gary. “Practicing the Built Tradition in Tai O Hong Kong: the meaning of revitalizing vernacular
neighborhoods in post-traditional environment”. HKIA Journal issue(2007) 48.
<http://www.hkia.net/hk/pdf/journal/journal_issue48_part4.pdf>

Organizer Sponsor Research Team

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