LAAB Architects' The Last Sawmill Project Archive LAAB實現室「最後的鎅木廠」項目檔案
Founded in 2013 by architects Otto Ng and Chun Hang Yip, LAAB is a dynamic interdisciplinary collective comprising more than forty professionals from diverse backgrounds, including architecture, design, art, engineering, handicrafts, and sociology. Operating as both a commercial practice and a creative platform, LAAB fosters new ideas and sustainable social innovations at the intersection of various disciplines.
In 2013, the Hong Kong government unveiled the North East New Territories New Development Plan, its goal to transform the city’s rural northern region into a bustling metropolis and thereby strengthen connections with neighboring Chinese Mainland cities. This ambitious initiative has had a significant impact on local villages and small businesses, including Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber, located for forty years in Kwu Tong, Sheung Shui, and managed by Wong Hung-kuen . Founded in 1947 by Wong's father after he emigrated to Hong Kong, Chi Kee Sawmill dealt mainly in imported timber before transitioning to recycled wood. In the past, the sawmill supplied pallets for airline cargo, materials for restoring Chinese temples and wooden houses, and wood for local furniture workshops.
To preserve the history of this iconic sawmill and raise awareness regarding its imminent closure, LAAB spearheaded a community project that included three carpentry workshops for local residents, a public exhibition, and a comprehensive documentation process. Architectural drawings, models, photographs, videos, and oral history interviews all formed a part of LAAB’s tool kit as the collective worked in close collaboration with Chi Kee team members to capture the space’s defining characteristics and story. The end results of the documentation process were showcased at the Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. In October 2022, Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber temporarily relocated to another site in Sheung Shui site before its permanent closure in 2025.
This project archive consists of digital photographs, single-channel videos, digital drawings, digital models, digital text files, digital posters, and wood samples associated with LAAB’s documentation project.
The following item related to the LAAB and Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber project is available to explore in the M+ Collections: 2024.593.
In 2013, the Hong Kong government unveiled the North East New Territories New Development Plan, its goal to transform the city’s rural northern region into a bustling metropolis and thereby strengthen connections with neighboring Chinese Mainland cities. This ambitious initiative has had a significant impact on local villages and small businesses, including Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber, located for forty years in Kwu Tong, Sheung Shui, and managed by Wong Hung-kuen . Founded in 1947 by Wong's father after he emigrated to Hong Kong, Chi Kee Sawmill dealt mainly in imported timber before transitioning to recycled wood. In the past, the sawmill supplied pallets for airline cargo, materials for restoring Chinese temples and wooden houses, and wood for local furniture workshops.
To preserve the history of this iconic sawmill and raise awareness regarding its imminent closure, LAAB spearheaded a community project that included three carpentry workshops for local residents, a public exhibition, and a comprehensive documentation process. Architectural drawings, models, photographs, videos, and oral history interviews all formed a part of LAAB’s tool kit as the collective worked in close collaboration with Chi Kee team members to capture the space’s defining characteristics and story. The end results of the documentation process were showcased at the Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. In October 2022, Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber temporarily relocated to another site in Sheung Shui site before its permanent closure in 2025.
This project archive consists of digital photographs, single-channel videos, digital drawings, digital models, digital text files, digital posters, and wood samples associated with LAAB’s documentation project.
The following item related to the LAAB and Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber project is available to explore in the M+ Collections: 2024.593.
M+ is committed to preserving, organising, and describing the collection archives in keeping with the highest international standards. As sections of the archives are catalogued, they will be made available on the M+ Collections website.
This archive is being catalogued. Information will be released periodically.
Details
Object Number
CA93
Archive Creator
Archival Level
Fonds
Date
2019
Credit Line
M+, Hong Kong. M+ Council for Design and Architecture Fund, 2024
