Hong Kong is awash with various styles of architecture. Here Caroline Chen picks four of the most iconic

1. Tong Lau/Tenement Buildings

Hong Kong’s tenement houses, better known as tong lau, are among Hong Kong’s most iconic buildings, distinguished by their narrow frontages, iron-rail balconies, and French windows.

Dating back to the 1890s, the ground floor was typically used for small businesses such as pawnshops and food vendors, while the top floors were reserved for residences.

Today, tong lau are rapidly vanishing from Hong Kong streets. Debates continue to rage between those who consider tong lau a key part of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage that need to be conserved, and those who see them as run-down safety hazards that should be demolished to make way for new developments

2. Colonial

In case we ever forget our colonial past, all we need to do is walk through Central, home to most of the surviving colonial architecture in Hong Kong.

Local colonial architecture is distinctive because the Western-style buildings are often tinged with evidence of Chinese influence. The former Supreme Court, currently home to LegCo, has both Greco-Victorian columns and Chinese wood beam eaves. Other examples of colonial architecture include Flagstaff House, St. John’s Cathedral, the Hong Kong Observatory, and the Central Police Station.

Most colonial buildings have now been declared monuments, and are being renovated and converted into community, cultural and entertainment centres.

3. Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne, a style which emerged in the 1930s, is easily recognisable by its curving forms, long horizontal lines, and plain colours – usually white or beige. In Hong Kong, the best-known example of this style is the Wan Chai Market.

As there are few remaining Streamline Moderne buildings in Hong Kong, there was much concern over the proposed renovation of the Wan Chai Market in 2007. The conservation battle was finally resolved when developers agreed to preserve the façade.

Other examples of Streamline Moderne architecture in Hong Kong include University Lodge on University Drive and the former Northcote Teachers’ Training College on Bonham Road.

4. Housing Estates

Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world where residents are used to living 30 or 40 floors above ground. The housing estates, which can be found in every urban district except Wan Chai, have become part of Hong Kong’s most distinctive architecture.

The housing estates were first constructed in the 1950s to accommodate refugees from Mainland China, many who were left homeless after the 1953 Shek Kip Mei fire destroyed all their makeshift homes.

In order to maximise the available light and air per apartment in Hong Kong’s urban environment, the housing estates are most often constructed in a cruciform or H shape.