first published September 2009
reprint edition December 2013
276 pages. Full-colour. Softback.
248 mm (H) x 225 mm (W)Bilingual (Chinese & English)
ISBN 978-988-99843-8-0
Portraits From Above 樓上風光－香港天台窩
about this book
關於這本書
by Rufina Wu and Stefan Canham
Self-built settlements on the roofs of high-rise buildings have been an integral part of Hong Kong’s history for over half a century. Rooftop structures range from basic shelters for the disadvantaged to intricate multi-storey constructions equipped with the amenities of modern life.
Rufina Wu (Canada) and Stefan Canham (Germany) utilize the tools of an architect and the tools of a photographer to document rooftop communities on five buildings located in older districts on the Kowloon Peninsula, slated for redevelopment by the Urban Renewal Authority of Hong Kong.
Text records of the residents’ stories, measured drawings of each distinct rooftop structure, and high-resolution images of the domestic interiors of more than twenty households offer an unprecedented insight into everyday life on Hong Kong’s rooftops.
