Awards and Recognitions

Carrying the mission of bringing new life into the historic buildings, surveyors of URA are determined to showcase a sustainable leasing project by incorporating conservation elements and social values into business. The legacy of 618 Shanghai Street is first introduced with illustrations of four core character defining elements including streetscape and architectural merits that make the shophouses the talk of the town. The conservation-cum-revitalisation project has given new life to the last remaining Cantonese verandah cluster in Hong Kong, allowing local residents, different generations of other districts and visitors to have their footprints and stories told at 618 Shanghai Street to which we all belong.

The Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) Awards are given to honour the outstanding achievements of our members and related professionals in town planning each year. Through the delivery of Awards, HKIP wish to raise public awareness in good planning principles and practice, and to encourage pursuit of excellence amongst planners in Hong Kong and mainland China.

URA believes that KCAA1 has showcased an innovative approach for urban regeneration, which sidestepped from the conventional building-by-building process towards a more holistic planning-led strategy, and beyond the statutory planning framework to multiply the planning merits at a district level, while striving a balance between maximizing land development potential and sustainable development.

The Structural Excellence Award aims to promote excellence in structural engineering demonstrated through the design and construction of buildings and structures.

A Grand Award winner in the Heritage category, the Central Market Revitalisation project targets to revive the pre-war building into a vibrant retail hub at the heart of the commercial district. Comprehensive structural assessments was carried out to understand the loading capacities and condition of the heritage building. Extensive repair works using various technologies and methods was adopted to reinstate the building with minimum alternations to its structure and appearance.

The Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) Awards aims to raise public awareness in good planning principles and practice, and to encourage pursuit of excellence amongst planners in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Central Market demonstrates a very successful case of heritage revitalisation in Hong Kong. This project is of high significance to Hong Kong, and recognises the significant contribution of the planning profession in heritage conservation and active reuse of historical buildings. It also adopts a sustainable financing and management mode that aims at transforming Central Market into a lively, attractive and sustainable heritage building.

The HKIA Annual Awards aims to strive for local, regional and international architectural excellence through professionalism and creativity, and to provide a supportive environment for HKIA members to practise quality architecture and realise their professional potential.

Central Market was awarded for the Special Architectural Award - Heritage & Adaptive Re-use. Highlights include the adoption of conservation principles of minimum intervention and maximum reversibility; G/F opening up to increase accessibility for the public to get into the market; façade design to integrate the old and new introducing the lost horizontality character of the original design; and a landscaped atrium for public enjoyment.