Architecture for ‘Homeless’

In recent years, the housing price in Hong Kong keep increasing rapidly. Citizens, especially young adults, can no longer afford either buying or renting an apartment. At the same time the supply of public housing is not enough for all citizens in need. If this situation does not improve, the problem of increasing amount of homeless people, such as the McRefugees issue, will become severe in the future.

Unfortunately, the government is not tackling the problems but trying to use different peculiar designs to expel the homeless instead, such as the big rocks in open area, pavilion without shelter or unnecessary separation elements at sitting area etc. Therefore, this thesis aims to explore some alternative ways of architecture with high flexibility to tackle the issue of the increasing amount of homeless people in the future.

Fig.1. Tunnel washing during freezing night. Source: Mr Tang’s FB. 2016, Digital Image. Available from: http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160126/s00001/1453741569075 (accessed September 23, 2016)

Fig.2. McRefugees. Source: Suraj Katra. 2016, Digital Image. Available from: http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/hong_kong_review/2016/02/160202_hkreview_homeless (accessed September 23, 2016)

Fig.3. Homeless under the bridge. Source: Apply Daily. 2012, Digital Image. Available from: http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20120528/16374207 (accessed September 23, 2016)