The Colorful Corner Buildings of Hong Kong, and Why They're Disappearing

I've been surrounded by corner buildings all my life. Strangely, I never noticed them until they started disappearing. As a child of the '90s growing up in a city that was embracing ever-taller structures composed of glass and steel, I was glad that the older, crumbling architecture of the city was giving way to sleeker, modern behemoths.

But as is the way with so many things in life, you never appreciate them until they're gone, or in this case, disappearing.

It was during a trip to Mong Kok just a few years ago that I began to wonder about why some of the buildings, especially those on street corners, had an odd curvature to them - almost as if to mimic the tight corners of the streets themselves.

That was when my curiosity was sparked. These corner buildings often combined apartments and shops together, and were painted in bright colors. They were always older, reflecting the design ethos of a bygone era. But what were they, why had they been built in this way, and when had they been constructed?

Before delving into the history and construction of corner buildings, it's probably useful to know how to identify one. These ten pointers will help you differentiate a corner building from a...well, regular building.

1. Located at junctions of two or more roads, with facades wrapping around the corner streets.
2. Characteristically feature rounded or curved building corners, often following the curve of pedestrian footpaths
3. Often brightly colored
4. Typically a type of tong lau (tenement building) or composite building combining shops, offices, and residences
5. Built mainly during the 1950s and 1960s, reflecting post-war urban development
6. Designed mainly by local "Joe Architects" rather than famous architects, emphasizing functionality and cost-efficiency
7. Include architectural details emblematic of the era, such as curved terrazzo staircases and mosaic tile floors
8. Most corner buildings are low- to mid-rise, as building codes shifted towards tall, angular towers post-1970s
9. They often feature large or rounded windows, distinctive signage, and unique proportions tailored to each corner site
10. Found predominantly in districts such as Wan Chai, Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Kennedy Town, To Kwa Wan, and Mong Kok

Corner buildings in Hong Kong began to appear primarily during the early 20th century, evolving from older tong lau—Chinese tenement buildings—that originated in the late 19th century. The earliest tong lau date back to the Victorian period, originally built to accommodate immigrant labor. These buildings combined residential spaces with commercial functions at street level, providing affordable and practical living and working environments for the growing population.

Impact of 1894 Bubonic Plague and Building Regulations

The 1894 bubonic plague outbreak in Hong Kong, which killed an estimated 20,000 people, led the colonial government to introduce new building regulations aimed at improving public health. These regulations required better ventilation, more natural lighting, and limits on building height. Consequently, this promoted the construction of tong lau that featured alleyways and larger windows. It was during this era that corner buildings started to emerge, making use of allowed verandahs (balconies) along streets. Located especially at junctions, these balconies maximized the usable space of buildings.

The Two Types of Corner Buildings and Feng Shui Influence

Two major types of corner buildings took shape in Hong Kong: buildings with right-angled corners and those with more distinctive, rounded corners. The rounded corners were partly influenced by feng shui beliefs, which associate curves with harmony and peace in neighborhoods. This cultural influence contributed to the unique architectural character of Hong Kong’s corner buildings.

Post-World War II Development and Composite Buildings

After World War II, Hong Kong experienced a large influx of immigrants from Mainland China, leading to an urgent need for more housing. To meet this demand, the government relaxed building height and construction restrictions, allowing tong lau to be built higher, sometimes up to eight storeys. These taller buildings often formed composite structures that combined residential units with offices and commercial spaces, reflecting a multipurpose urban architecture style designed for efficiency and rapid accommodation. These are the tong lau that can still be found in Hong Kong today for the most part - the ones built between the 1950s and 1970s.

1. The curved corners originate from government building codes requiring cantilevered balconies to improve ventilation in dense urban flats.
2. At street corners, balconies were designed to follow the curve of the pedestrian footpath, creating rounded building corners rather than sharp angles.
3. The curve is not originally an architectural design choice but a practical outcome of balcony shape and street layout.
4. The government exempted balcony floor area from land premium payments until 1966, incentivizing developers to extend curved balconies at corners.
5. Rounded corners also align with feng shui beliefs, which associate curves with harmony and positive energy in neighborhoods.

The government actively encouraged the construction of outdoor cantilevered balconies on residential flats to facilitate better airflow, which helped mitigate heat and humidity indoors. When buildings were constructed at street corners, the balconies were naturally extended to follow the curve of the adjacent pedestrian footpath, giving rise to the distinctive rounded corners that have become a hallmark of Hong Kong’s corner buildings.

A significant policy incentive also played a role in the proliferation of balconies. Until 1966, balcony floor areas were exempt from land premium assessments, effectively allowing developers to gain additional space without facing extra fees. This financial advantage encouraged developers to include expansive balconies, often wrapping around corners. Subsequently, many homeowners enclosed these balconies to create extra rooms, which could be rented out, maximizing both living space and income potential.

Besides improving ventilation and expanding living areas, balconies served as sheltered spaces for pedestrians from sun and rain, reminiscent of the verandah-type shophouses common in southern China. The curved balconies not only addressed functional urban needs but shaped the unique architectural and cultural identity of Hong Kong’s corner buildings, blending utilitarian design with environmental and social considerations.

Modern corner buildings in Hong Kong face a challenging preservation landscape. While many historic building conservation initiatives are underway, most corner buildings remain privately owned and lack comprehensive heritage protection, making them vulnerable to redevelopment. The government has made strides in heritage conservation through grading systems and revitalization schemes that preserve selected historic sites, but corner buildings often do not receive the same level of priority since they are typically mid-20th-century, utilitarian structures rather than prestigious monuments.

Urban redevelopment pressures favor taller, more profitable developments, and many corner buildings, especially those built in the 1950s and 1960s, are targeted for demolition, like the ones pictured above in To Kwa Wan. Alternatively, they are transformed into luxury spaces, like the one pictured above in Happy Valley.

These buildings, especially older examples like Lui Seng Chun, which was built in 1931, serve as living records of Hong Kong's social and economic history. Most surviving corner buildings exemplify the post-war industrialization era, when Hong Kong transitioned from a trading port to a manufacturing hub, accommodating waves of refugees and rapid urban growth. Corner buildings also illustrate cultural aspects of the city like feng shui, where rounded corners symbolize harmony and peace in neighborhoods.

Preserving Hong Kong’s corner buildings is vital because they represent rare surviving examples of mid-20th-century architecture that provide a historical snapshot into the city's unique streetscape identity. Many have distinctive architectural styles, such as Art Deco or Bauhaus influences, and retain community and commercial functions that link neighborhoods historically and socially. Conservation enhances cultural heritage appreciation, prevents erasure caused by high-density redevelopment, and maintains human-scale urban environments, which are increasingly rare in modern Hong Kong. Let's face it, most of us are sick of shopping malls and cookie cutter high rises being built where unique architecture once reigned supreme.