About the Site Visit 

Despite of various constraints during the pandemic period, several heritage conservation projects were completed. These projects do not only showcase innovative approach to design in urban context but also demonstrate the public and private efforts in renovating the heritage properties for the contemporary uses. This tour will visit four heritage sites including Power supply and waste collection infrastructure, shipyard, firecracker factory and village settlement.

M30 Integrated Infrastructure for Power Supply and Waste Collection: The M30 site combines power supply and waste collection facilities. The M30 infrastructure building in the buffer zone of the Historic Centre of Macao World Heritage site exemplifies innovative new design in a heritage context. It received UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Award – New Design in Heritage Context Award in 2022.

Located in the Taipa Village, The Former Iec Long Firecracker Factory was once the largest installation and most representative of the Firecracker industry in Macao which demonstrated one of the village’s manufacturing past and remaining industrial heritage sites in Macao. It covers around 25,000 square metres. Given its unoccupied state for several years, the Factory was covered in weeds, and the space’s environment was degraded. With the efforts from Cultural Affair Bureau in Macao since December 2020, part of it is now renovated as a complex space combining the functions of exhibition, workshop, tourist information center and a store selling products from the cultural and creative industries.

The Village of Our Lady in Ka Ho and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows are inscribed on the List of Classified Immovable Cultural Heritage in Macao. The Village of Our Lady in Ka Ho is the only remaining leprosarium site in Macao. In 1885, the Macao Government constructed a leprosarium for leprosy patients at this location, initially consisting of just one or two brick houses. The village has once gone through several stages of reconstruction and expansion.

With the advancement of medical technology, in 1992, the Social Welfare Bureau repurposed the houses that housed female patients into a nursing home for the elderly who had recovered in Ka Ho, and the medical mission of the Village of Our Lady in Ka Ho was discontinued. Prior to the restoration and revitalization of the Village of Our Lady in Ka Ho, the five houses and the former recreation room had suffered varying degrees of damage and aging, as the village had been left abandoned and in a state of disrepair for many years. Comprehensive restoration work by the cultural affairs bureau began in phases in 2016, allowing the village to be partially opened to the public in 2019. The village is currently being developed for community use.

The construction of the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards commenced during the 1950s and ceased operations in the 1990s. These shipyards are characterized by their parallel rows, built perpendicular to the water, and are of similar size. This arrangement forms a modular cluster, resulting in a distinctive landscape that showcases the harmonious integration of the natural surroundings with the man-made structures. As the only relatively intact shipbuilding site in Macao, the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards demonstrate the safeguarding of craftsmanship of shipbuilding. They serve as a testament to the urban development, industrialization, and a way of life in Macao during that era. Currently, the first phase of the revitalization of the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards has opened lots X11-X15, covering an area of approximately 3,000 square meters. This section features a thematic exhibition area, a market showcasing specific products, a performance space, and workshops.