What it's like to live in Hong Kong's densest apartment complex — "Monster Building"

[frauenfelder]

Originally published at: What it's like to live in Hong Kong's densest apartment complex — "Monster Building" | Boing Boing

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[Papasan]

Kicking my claustrophobia in, monster time.

[Bunbain]

I’d take the high-rise over the 'burbs any day.

Fortunately however, I’m blessed with 1/20th acre of my own and less than a mile from the post office, grocery store, bank, coffee shop, barber shop, etc.

[bobtato]

@frauenfelder

Hong Kong’s densest apartment complex

Well, now it is, since Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the 90s for being too interesting.

[angusm]

I haven’t been in Monster Building, but I’ve been in Mirador Mansion and Chungking Mansions in Kowloon, which look fairly similar. One of the things that impressed me was the mix of uses. In the US and Europe, we’re used to having commercial businesses on the ground floor, and residential on the higher floors. In the ‘mansions’ in Kowloon, everything was jumbled up, so the elevator doors would open on, say, the seventh floor, and you’d find yourself looking at a travel agent’s, or a tailor’s shop, or an Indian restaurant, or whatever. It felt as if someone had taken a small town, cut it into equal-sized pieces, and stacked everything on top of everything else.

[Pipkin]

Reminds me of Peach Trees from DREDD. Except, the shopping district is a lot less cool.

[oldstevo]

Not sure if it was one of these buildings, but back in the late '90’s, my brother lived in an apartment in HK that was about 40 square feet in size. He could stir pots on the stove while standing in the shower.

At the time I was living in a duplex unit of 40 square metres and paying the same rent

[FGD135]

I’d love to get a copy of the fire protection concept for this complex.

[ficuswhisperer]

I mean it has nothing on Kowloon Walled City, but it’s impressive.