The Asia Society’s new HQ in Hong Kong
literally provides a breath of fresh air

Recently in Hong Kong, the Asia Society unveiled its renovation of an old British military explosives magazine site in Admiralty, large sections of which will be open to the public. Having visited King Yin Lei last year when that was completed (http://www.perspectiveglobal.com/blog/post-196-something-to-be-proud-of ), I was interested to see what had been done here... But what was most interesting was that a lot of it is hard to see, as the structures are spread apart on such a large compound, so it is hard to get a real sense or feel for it.

What was most interesting was that a lot of it is hard to see, as the structures are spread apart on such a large compound, so it is hard to get a real sense or feel for it.

Perhaps, though, that is precisely what makes it so charming. In Hong Kong (or most major cities, for that matter), everything is pretty much ‘in your face’‑ buildings, people, traffic, noise. It is a powerful, visceral assault on the senses but at the new Asia Society HQ, it is a completely different world.

Here, the trees are taller than the buildings, for a start. Two ancient old banyans have been preserved at significant cost, and a cluster of trees where fruitbats have traditionally roosted has also been protected, with new walkways and structures designed around them. It is peaceful, green and open.

Architecturally, none of the old buildings shout at you to notice them. They weren’t designed that way. This was where munitions were stored and bombs were designed and built during the war; the last thing the British army wanted was to draw attention to it. The newer buildings to the site are blessedly low-key as well, and any changes or additions made to existing structures have been designed to be easily dismantled and removed if the site ever gets repurposed in the future.

My two favourite things were the berms and the old tracks that can still be seen running along the paths and walkways. The latter were used for transporting goods and materials around the site; the former are intriguing because the first time you glance at them, you think "okay, a big wall" – but it’s more than that, as a berm is a mound of earth specifically constructed and designed so that if any of the munitions stores exploded, the force of the explosion would go upwards instead of sideways, to protect the nearby buildings.

The site will open on 9 February; in the meantime, check out http://asiasociety.org/hong-kong/visit/history-transformation-former-explosives-magazine