Private Sector Heritage Conservation: The Mills
Once known as the former cotton mills of Nan Fung Textiles during Hong Kong’s manufacturing boom in the 1960’s, “The Mills’ has now been revitalised and transformed into an incubator for innovation, culture and learning. “The Mills” pays homage to the rich history of Hong Kong’s textile industry while simultaneously fostering creativity by introducing a creative zone to its location in Tsuen Wan district that allows visitors to connect with their heritage and the past, while also stimulating their creative senses through a mini culture and business district. In order to engage and educate visitors, the building has combined the 3 former mills (mill 4, 5, 6) into one uniform complex that houses a culture & art institute, retail store and a business and startup incubator focusing on the new age of technology and fashion (aka. ‘techstyle’).
The original cotton mills operated from 1956 until 2008 after which operations ceased due to the dwindling cotton industry. The building remained as a warehouse until 2014 when local property developer Nan Fung Group launched the revitalisation project, and in 2018 was revealed to the public as a new landmark for innovation and creativity. The revitalised Mills has retained more that 80% of the original building structure with only extra structural strengthening features being additionally incorporated. In order to make the three buildings look cohesive, the main entrance of the complex has been replaced with a glass façade to enhance connectivity with the surroundings and create a flowing connection between the three separate structures to make them unite as one.
The revitalization of The Mills has also been done with sustainability and energy saving as the main motivating factors. The new elements such as the glass entrance and skylights increase the amount of natural lighting that penetrates the building and reduce dependency on artificial lighting. Solar heat mitigation methods such as architectural fins and water usage conservation schemes are additional features introduced to the original building to elevate the revitalised project into a LEED gold certified building.
The Mills not only houses creativity within its boundaries but also acts as a canvas itself for young creatives to add their art and creative works to the building façade and interact with the building personally. The conservation of this building creates a partnership between the people and the city as the Mills provides a platform where creative youth can thrive and the people contribute to the rich art and culture necessary to bring the Mills to life.
The Mills is an exemplary revitalisation project showcasing how investment into conservation and heritage can ultimately give back to the people and the community and create a positive exchange of ideas within the city. For private developers, this project also is an excellent show of how successful conservation can be beneficial on multiple levels as the original developers Nan Fung Group have risen to be one of the most valuable and well respected privately held organisations for social and heritage development.
