Location: Hong Kong

    YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel is a place where old meets new — it’s a public resettlement block, built in 1954, fully renovated and revitalized into a youth hostel with 129 rooms and dormitories. The first two floors are a public housing museum with sample rooms restored to their original condition in the 1950s.

    The judging panel said the transformation of the abandoned Mei Ho House into a youth hostel and heritage museum has successfully extended the life of the territory’s first public housing complex. The conservation work was commended for its nuanced approach to retaining the hallmarks of period architecture while sensitively inserting contemporary amenities catering to the building’s new function. The impressive efforts in reaching out to former residents and record oral histories have enriched the site and created the vibrant Mei Ho House Alumni Network. The project has had a catalytic impact on the larger renewal of Shek Kip Mei as one of the city’s new cultural hubs. The restoration of Mei Ho House has preserved an important chapter in the social history of Hong Kong and demonstrates the enduring value of social housing.

    Transport: Depending on your direction of travel, you may get off at either Sham Shui Po Station or Shek Kip Mei Station.

    Sham Shui Po Station: Exit at B2 and walk northward along Pei Ho Street for about 10 minutes to Tai Po Road. Then walk across to 70 Berwick Street to the hostel.

    Shek Kip Mei Station: Take Exit A, walk along Who Chai Street and turn left to Pak Tin Street at the end before reaching the junction with Berwick Street where the hostel is on your right.

    (SD-Agencies)