Project Plum Grove II (2023-2024) continues to revitalize Mui Tsz Lam village by transforming Old House from ruins to combining private habitation with community hub “MTL Commons”, enabling a university–village partnership. Extending achievements from Phase I (2020-2022) – experimental restorations (Old House; Mural House) guided by place-inspired design principles (in-situ, light-touch, and co-create), Phase II further restored the 300-year-old site of Old House, the region’s oldest heritage, fusing traditional methods with modern construction and sustainable design technologies.
We restored its 3-bay configuration, regrouping subdivided ownerships: 1) re-creating courtyard “Gathering Four Waters” with communal cooking and reinterpreted main hall with open loft; 2) private-funded residence; 3) patio landscaping and entrance corridor paving co-built with volunteers. We combined old and new rammed earth walls, embedded steel structure, introduced openings and modern facilities. Co-created with villagers, volunteers and students throughout, we adapted Old House’s heritage into an education-research base for long-term village revitalization.
Year
2025
Prize
HKIA Award of Hong Kong - House
Architect(s)
Thomas Chung & School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
