Rufina Wu Livres

Second and revised edition of this fascinating project that documents Hong Kongs legacy of rooftop communities as a highly unique form of architecture that has informally evolved. The project offers a comprehensive survey of five rooftop settlements in the city, while also revealing the creative cultural energy of these rooftop communities and their inextricable links to local neighbourhood and social networks. Alongside axonometric drawings and analytical diagrams, the publication also includes detailed interior and exterior photographs of more than twenty households and a collection of rooftop residents stories.

Self-built settlements on the roofs of high-rise buildings have been an integral part of Hong Kong's history for over half a century. Rooftop structures range from basic shelters for the disadvantaged to intricate multi-storey constructions equipped with the amenities of modern life. Rufina Wu (Canada) and Stefan Canham (Germany) utilize the tools of an architect and the tools of a photographer to document rooftop communities on five buildings located in older districts in the Kowloon Peninsula, slated for redevelopment by the Urban Renewal Authority of Hong Kong. Text records of the residents' stories, measured drawings of each distinct rooftop structure, and high-resolution images of the domestic interiors of more than twenty households offer an unprecedented insight into the everyday life on Hong Kong's rooftops.