Page 156 - The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) 香港綠色建築議會
P. 156
Private Sector Hysan Place: Creating a Sustainable
Projects Community Through Visionary Thinking
A sustainable community, as interpreted renowned Cantonese opera performers, true Not surprisingly, there was little Lee Garden
today, often means a choice location for stars in Cantonese-speaking communities development during the Second World War,
people to live, work and play, both now and throughout the world, made their names in but Hong Kong’s population grew rapidly
into the future. Lee’s vision for Lee Garden Lee Theatre and helped elevate a ‘street’ art after the war, escalating the demand for real
and Causeway Bay certainly embodied form into something much more cultural and, estate throughout the then British colony. In
this spirit decades before the concept was indeed, sustainable. the 1950s, local businessmen came up with
made popular. With a determination to flexible financial arrangements for the middle
build a quality business of entertainment In fact, Lee Theatre remained Hong Kong’s classes to buy properties, and the move was
for the masses, Lee constructed a stunning most prestigious performance venue for local echoed by the Government through new
Franco-Italian style theatre at the foot of the and international artists. Among those who regulations to encourage construction of
Lee Garden Hill, an architectural gem that took to the stage were the iconic conductor taller buildings, many of them residential. A
boasted a 360-degree rotating stage, perhaps Herbert von Karajan, crooner Andy Williams, property market boom soon ensued.
the most sophisticated performance venue virtuoso guitarist Jose Feliciano, and many
then in Greater China, if not Asia. others. Lee Theatre played host to the first 13 Lee Hysan’s successors were among the
Miss Hong Kong beauty pageants from 1973 pioneering developers, and had started to
Soon after it was completed in 1925, Lee to 1985, and was the venue for the 1976 Miss take a key role in a major project that would
Theatre became the spiritual home of a Universe, which saw Miss Israel crowned change Hong Kong Island’s coastline and its
popular performance art form, Cantonese the winner. Lee Theatre complemented Lee land use. Lee Garden Hill would be levelled
opera. This glamorous form of stage Garden and established the Causeway Bay for commercial and residential development,
performance involves elaborate music and area south of the tram tracks as Hong Kong’s and the materials obtained from the clearing
colourful costumes, but in the early 20th best known leisure and entertainment area. would be used to create more flat land at the
century, these plays were essentially only Lee Hysan’s view to create a sound business harbour front. Significantly, even this move
performed on outdoor stages made of venture that addressed community and had a very sustainable purpose. The earth and
bamboo scaffolding in remote areas of the artistic needs at the same time was very rocks from the Hill were deposited into the
city. The opening of the Lee Theatre gave similar in essence to what is now known Causeway Bay Typhoon shelter, and the land
Cantonese opera a proper and quality home as ’creating shared value‘, and it certainly reclaimed is now Victoria Park, one of Hong
base in the heart of urban Hong Kong. Yam promoted the mindset for his successors to Kong’s best known public parks. Its sports
Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin and a host of other maintain the district in a sustainable way. facilities, including its football, basketball
154 HONG KONG REPORT ON THE STATE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 2014
Projects Community Through Visionary Thinking
A sustainable community, as interpreted renowned Cantonese opera performers, true Not surprisingly, there was little Lee Garden
today, often means a choice location for stars in Cantonese-speaking communities development during the Second World War,
people to live, work and play, both now and throughout the world, made their names in but Hong Kong’s population grew rapidly
into the future. Lee’s vision for Lee Garden Lee Theatre and helped elevate a ‘street’ art after the war, escalating the demand for real
and Causeway Bay certainly embodied form into something much more cultural and, estate throughout the then British colony. In
this spirit decades before the concept was indeed, sustainable. the 1950s, local businessmen came up with
made popular. With a determination to flexible financial arrangements for the middle
build a quality business of entertainment In fact, Lee Theatre remained Hong Kong’s classes to buy properties, and the move was
for the masses, Lee constructed a stunning most prestigious performance venue for local echoed by the Government through new
Franco-Italian style theatre at the foot of the and international artists. Among those who regulations to encourage construction of
Lee Garden Hill, an architectural gem that took to the stage were the iconic conductor taller buildings, many of them residential. A
boasted a 360-degree rotating stage, perhaps Herbert von Karajan, crooner Andy Williams, property market boom soon ensued.
the most sophisticated performance venue virtuoso guitarist Jose Feliciano, and many
then in Greater China, if not Asia. others. Lee Theatre played host to the first 13 Lee Hysan’s successors were among the
Miss Hong Kong beauty pageants from 1973 pioneering developers, and had started to
Soon after it was completed in 1925, Lee to 1985, and was the venue for the 1976 Miss take a key role in a major project that would
Theatre became the spiritual home of a Universe, which saw Miss Israel crowned change Hong Kong Island’s coastline and its
popular performance art form, Cantonese the winner. Lee Theatre complemented Lee land use. Lee Garden Hill would be levelled
opera. This glamorous form of stage Garden and established the Causeway Bay for commercial and residential development,
performance involves elaborate music and area south of the tram tracks as Hong Kong’s and the materials obtained from the clearing
colourful costumes, but in the early 20th best known leisure and entertainment area. would be used to create more flat land at the
century, these plays were essentially only Lee Hysan’s view to create a sound business harbour front. Significantly, even this move
performed on outdoor stages made of venture that addressed community and had a very sustainable purpose. The earth and
bamboo scaffolding in remote areas of the artistic needs at the same time was very rocks from the Hill were deposited into the
city. The opening of the Lee Theatre gave similar in essence to what is now known Causeway Bay Typhoon shelter, and the land
Cantonese opera a proper and quality home as ’creating shared value‘, and it certainly reclaimed is now Victoria Park, one of Hong
base in the heart of urban Hong Kong. Yam promoted the mindset for his successors to Kong’s best known public parks. Its sports
Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin and a host of other maintain the district in a sustainable way. facilities, including its football, basketball
154 HONG KONG REPORT ON THE STATE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 2014
