Blue House Cluster presented with award at UNESCO ceremony
Publish Date: 24-Apr-2018
HKSKH St James’ Settlement’s Viva Blue House project won the award of excellence, the top honour from the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in November. The award ceremony was held at Ming Hua Hall in St James’ Settlement on 6 April, and over 300 guests attended. Among the guests of honour were Mrs Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and Dr Duong Bich Hanh, chief of culture unit and chair of jury for Heritage Awards at UNESCO in Bangkok. In her speech, Mrs Lam called Viva Blue House a unique heritage conservation project that revitalized the buildings and preserved the existing supportive community network by retaining the existing tenants. She hopes the supportive spirit and neighborhood networks can survive in Hong Kong even as the buildings and facilities become more modern. Dr Duong described the Blue House Cluster as an unprecedented civic effort to protect marginalised local heritage in one of the world’s most high-pressure real estate markets. It is an inspiration for other embattled urban districts in the region and beyond, she believes.
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