Hong Kong Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre

Hong Kong Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre

- The Creative Arts Centre (The Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, JCCAC) is a new arts initiative dedicated to promoting creative arts in Hong Kong. It is located at 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, and was converted from the former Shek Kip Mei Factory Estate of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. - The centre is led by Hong Kong Baptist University, with strategic partners including the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong Arts Centre. - It is funded by a charitable trust and supported by the Home Affairs Bureau as the government supporting body. The arts centre opened to the public in late September 2008.

The Hong Kong government has entrusted the management rights of the Creative Arts Centre to Hong Kong Baptist University under a seven-year Entrustment Agreement. The centre operates on a self-financing basis and is open to the public. In addition to artistic creation, the resident artists and organizations collaborate to provide art education and training to the public, as well as art-related commercial activities.

Facilities

- The Creative Arts Centre was converted from the nine-storey Shek Kip Mei Factory Estate, offering approximately 110,000 square feet of leasable area (excluding rooftop space). The centre received a HK$69.4 million donation and up to HK$25 million in grant funding from a charitable trust to support the renovation and refurbishment of the building and some initial operating costs. The building’s architectural consultants for the renovation were P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd., while Meta4 Design Forum Ltd. (MDFA Architects) was responsible for the interior design.

The Shek Kip Mei Factory Estate was built in 1977 and has been vacant since 2000, with a total usable area of 8,640 square metres. The design of the centre preserves as much as possible the character of the original Shek Kip Mei Factory Estate, and the renovation materials also maintain the rugged style of 1970s industrial buildings. The ground floor is made of concrete, with a ceiling height of 14 feet 9 inches (4.5 metres), while upper floors each have a ceiling height of 8 feet 3 inches (2.5 metres). The load limit is 150 pounds per square foot. About 50,000 square feet provide around 100 small and medium-sized units for rent to artists and arts groups, while another 30,000 square feet offer about 6 to 7 large units for rent to arts organizations. Small unit sizes range from 291 to 385 square feet; medium units from 483 to 804 square feet; large units from 874 to 1,040 square feet; and the largest units from 1,298 to 1,326 square feet. The centre also houses three galleries, an experimental theatre, eateries, a gallery boutique, and other shops. A central courtyard provides a performance venue for small-scale arts and cultural events. Each floor also has a shared space for displaying sculptures and hosting events.

Transportation Guide

Location: 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Getting There: Take Kowloon minibuses route 9M