Corner house explained

Corner Houses (Chinese: 街角樓) are a type of building located at the junction of two or three roads.

Hong Kong

See main article: Composite Building. Corner houses are buildings located at junctions. In Hong Kong, buildings must meet certain specifications, which is why corner houses are so common on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Corner houses originate from the Composite Buildings of Hong Kong. They were popularized in the 1950s and the 1960s. Most corner houses are fourth-generation tong lau, featuring rounded corners and lines.

Antonio Hermenegildo Basto currently holds the record for the most corner buildings designed in Hong Kong.^{[1] [2]}

Locations

Hong Kong Island: Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Sai Ying Pun, Shau Kei Wan

Kowloon: Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, Tai Kok Tsui, To Kwa Wan, Cheung Sha Wan

Styles

• Hanging signs in large facades.^[3]
• Units in round corners are known as large units.
• Round buildings are built in a Bauhaus style.

Types

Notable buildings

Hong Kong

• 14 Nam Cheong Street (Boundary Street and Nam Cheong Street)
• May Wah Building (Wan Chai Road and Johnston Road
• Mido Cafe (Temple Street and Public Square Street
• New Lucky House (Nathan Road and Jordan Road)
• Chung Wui Mansion (Wan Chai Road, Fleming Road, and Johnston Road)
• Hing Wah Mansion (Babington Path, Park Road, St Stephen's Lane, and Oaklands Path)

Taiwan

• Hayashi Department Store

United States

• Flatiron Building (NYC)

UK

• The Cornerhouse, Nottingham
• Cornerhouse (Demolished)

See also

• Tong lau
• Composite Building

References

1. Web site: 同德大押歷史研究報告. 2018-08-20. 吳韻怡. 2015-08-08. 古物諮詢委員會. 2019-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20191026001248/http://www.aab.gov.hk/form/special_meetings/AAB_13_2015-16%20(Annex%20A).pdf . live .
2. Web site: Dewolf. Christopher. 2019-10-31. Corner buildings Hong Kong's Modern Heritage, Part X. 2021-09-11. Zolima City Magazine. en-GB.
3. Web site: 一樓一古：半世紀發水史. 2018-08-19. 邵超. 2013-02-27. 蘋果日報. 2018-08-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20180819214221/https://hk.lifestyle.appledaily.com/lifestyle/culture/daily/article/20130227/18177761 . live .

Further reading

• Book: Michael, Wolf . Michael Wolf (photographer) . 2010 . Hong Kong corner houses . . 978-988-8028-72-6 . 2021-12-19 . 2021-07-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210724211259/https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/638.php . dead .

External links

• Piece of Hong Kong's History: Composite Buildings》