EDUCATOR
Hong Kong, China
Bamboo & the Disappearing City
EDUCATOR
Hong Kong, China
Bamboo & the Disappearing City
Project Team
Raffaella Endrizzi
66 Views
A community-based research project documenting Hong Kong’s disappearing bamboo scaffolding through photography, oral histories, archives; foregrounds labour, material intelligence, and urban heritage while reflecting on regulatory change and sustainable, low-carbon futures.
Overview
Scaffold and Memory: Bamboo and the Disappearing City is a community-based research project investigating the phase-out of bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong. Through photography, oral histories, and archival inquiry, the project documents scaffolders’ knowledge, labour practices, and material intelligence embedded in bamboo construction. It examines how regulatory change accelerates the loss of a low-carbon, circular building system and an urban culture shaped by craft. Community collaboration with scaffolders and local practitioners forms both method and outcome, generating shared narratives and knowledge. The project positions bamboo scaffolding as living heritage and a climate-responsive practice. It proposes visual research as a platform reflecting on sustainable urban futures.
Institution
Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Architecture
Community Engagement
The work is grounded in collaboration with bamboo scaffolders, whose embodied knowledge, skills, and labour history are rarely documented yet deeply embedded in Hong Kong’s urban fabric. Engagement unfolds through interviews, extended on-site observation, and photographic encounters.
