Completed in 1988, its most iconic feature is the exposed circular air ducts, a hallmark of the late-1980s High-tech architecture style. Emerging in the late 1970s as a branch of postmodernism, this style transformed structural and mechanical systems — steel frames, pipes, lifts, staircases — into an architectural language. Instead of concealing them, architects displayed these elements openly on the exterior, often highlighted with vivid colours to draw attention, making them the very focus of design.

As a multi-functional civic complex, the Kowloon City Municipal Services Building is a localised example of this style. The first such mixed-use facility, the Yue Wan Market in Chai Wan, combined wet and dry markets with cooked food centres, and even housed Hong Kong’s first library inside a market building. Municipal services complexes were originally built to rehouse street hawkers, but soon took on additional roles: cooked food centres, libraries, sports halls, and even open plazas. Imagine how much time could be saved in a single building where one could exercise, read, enjoy a meal, and buy fresh produce all in one place.

Designed by Palmer & Turner, the building placed the wet market on the ground floor, dry goods on the first floor, and let yellow service pipes cut through the upper levels housing the cooked food centre and sports hall. Each floor was conceived as a distinct spatial environment with its own functions. Moving between levels means stepping into a different world — the quiet of the library separated from the bustle of the market by just a single storey. This intense spatial contrast reflects, perhaps, the Hong Kong pursuit of efficiency.

Such experiences are not unique to Kowloon City: other municipal services buildings across the city also combine multiple functions, some even featuring open-air parks that serve as everyday communal spaces for nearby residents. Which of Hong Kong’s municipal complexes has left the deepest impression on you?

Text and Photography: @kongcept852 (Commissioned by HKIA)