Tao Ho
22 Heng Lam Street, Lok Fu
2000
An outlandish structure in the residential district of Lok Fu, Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church is a relatively new architecture compared to other buildings from the ‘Architecture We Love to Hate’ public engagement project. When TaoHo Design Architects was drafting the design for the new church, there was quite a challenging list of factors for the firm to consider. Some of these factors are “a place not just of worship, but of community and fellowship, with facilities to house extensive educational and outreach programs, as well as permanent space for the congregation’s many musical groups,” TaoHo Design Architects describes on its website. Considering these elements, the team had planned the blueprint for the building that stands today.
The avant-garde structure comprises a covered assembly ground, an assembly hall, a dome-shaped chapel, classrooms, as well as several offices. By placing the dome-shaped chapel in its lower levels, it provides direct access for the crowd coming up to masses or ceremonies. The chapel’s placement also shields the chapel from getting direct sunlight from the top. Instead, the curved windows and stained-glass panels — designed by Tao Ho and handcrafted by Indonesian glass artist Yaputra — allow sunlight to flow inside through the sides of the chapel. The upper body of the building – the rectangular office spaces – is lifted and supported by multiple lean columns. On top of the pyramidal spire at the highest point of the building stands a cross to display the nature of the building as a Christian institution. The church was awarded a Certificate of Merit of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects in 2000.
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Wing Kwong Church (Architecture We Love to Hate)
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Wing Kwong Church (Architecture We Love to Hate)
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Wing Kwong Church (Architecture We Love to Hate)
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Wing Kwong Church (Architecture We Love to Hate)
