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Arhitekta : September 2021.

…With this encouragement Rocky moved on to start a Community Project in nearby Tangkou village in Kaiping. The area is rich in diaolous, set in beautiful natural landscapes but the industry and the local government had moved out leaving it sad and decaying. The old wooden piers, once used by fishing boats were abandoned and the population was aging and reducing. 

The frst element for community engagement was the adaptive re-use of an old post ofce transforming it into a hostel and meeting centre. With successful implementation of this, the opportunity arose to extend this revitalisation and adaptive re- use concept to an abandoned watch factory built in the 1980s and a derelict, communal, metal lampshade factory dating from the 1960s. The former factories provide a pleasing combination of air conditioned indoor spaces, open protected indoor areas and outdoor recreation areas. 

The main funds came from Rocky himself and factories in Dongguan who contributed with building materials. Precisely for this reason, Concept and Design had to be flexible and versatile to best support the skills of voluntary workers and the free material provided by the factories but, at the same time, it was necessary to affirm and support the founding values of restoration, guarantee the essential qualities of the project and highlight the hospitality standards levels….