During the past two hundred years, Hong Kong and other Chinese coastal cities underwent tremendous impact of modern civilization. In the drastic urbanization, most of the old buildings are gone, some remain and witness the change of times. The remained lighthouses once shed light and direction for ocean navigation, and they epitomize the process of modernization in Hong Kong. This vernacular and rural studio focuses on the issues of heritage preservation, historic education and tourism development. In this studio, students had opportunity to study the existing lighthouses and their vicinity and transform the relevant areas into education base and tourist attractions. In the research and design process, students learnt the specific skills needed for the protection of architectural heritage/ vernacular vestiges/ tectonic building design and created a sustainable environment.
The target sites are in Tang Lung Chau, Ma Wan and Green Island. Students landed on these islands, measured the lighthouses and relevant buildings on these islands and analyzed the site. They took case study of lighthouse sites in Europe, America, Japan and Taiwan. The lighthouses are usually located in remote cliffs and islands. The key is how to integrate these sites to the tourists’ route and cooperate with other infrastructures/facilities.