Scaffolds and Memory: Bamboo and the Disappearing City
Bamboo scaffoldings in Hong Kong, photographs by Raffaella Endrizzi
Bamboo scaffoldings in Hong Kong, photographs by Raffaella Endrizzi
Bamboo scaffoldings in Hong Kong, photographs by Raffaella Endrizzi
Bamboo scaffoldings in Hong Kong, photographs by Raffaella Endrizzi
In March 2025, the Development Bureau announced a policy shift toward metal scaffolding in public building works, citing safety concerns. As bamboo scaffolding faces official phase-out, this project documents its final chapter through photography and oral history. The visual essay captures how bamboo structures veil and reveal the city—symbolizing impermanence, craftsmanship, and transformation. Interviews and portraits of Sifus (master scaffolders) and semi-skilled workers preserve lived knowledge passed down through generations, offering insight into the challenges of sustaining traditional practices in a rapidly modernizing city. The research also investigates the sources and types of bamboo used, fluctuations in pricing and supply, and how these material flows reflect broader regional exchange systems. Together, these narratives and material analyses offer a layered understanding of the bamboo scaffolding trade. This project forms part of a forthcoming book and supports community efforts to apply for UNESCO recognition of bamboo scaffolding as intangible cultural heritage.
In March 2025, the Development Bureau announced a policy shift toward metal scaffolding in public building works, citing safety concerns. As bamboo scaffolding faces official phase-out, this project documents its final chapter through photography and oral history. The visual essay captures how bamboo structures veil and reveal the city—symbolizing impermanence, craftsmanship, and transformation. Interviews and portraits of Sifus (master scaffolders) and semi-skilled workers preserve lived knowledge passed down through generations, offering insight into the challenges of sustaining traditional practices in a rapidly modernizing city. The research also investigates the sources and types of bamboo used, fluctuations in pricing and supply, and how these material flows reflect broader regional exchange systems. Together, these narratives and material analyses offer a layered understanding of the bamboo scaffolding trade. This project forms part of a forthcoming book and supports community efforts to apply for UNESCO recognition of bamboo scaffolding as intangible cultural heritage.
- 2025
- Grantee: Raffaella Endrizzi
Raffaella Endrizzi is an architect, photographer, educator, and writer with a strong focus on sustainability and socially engaged design. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Climate Innovation from ETH Zurich.Her work is driven by a commitment to sustainable societies. She is the co-author of Lochergut – Ein Portrait (Quart, 2019), a social and urbanistic study of Zurich’s Lochergut housing block, which received the 2019 DAM Architectural Book Award. Photography plays a central role in her practice, deepening her spatial understanding and visual storytelling. She studied with the internationally renowned photographer Hélène Binet in London and has since been commissioned for various photographic projects. Since 2021, she has been teaching architectural design at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she integrates photography and sustainability into her pedagogy. Most recently, during her Climate Innovation studies, she co-taught a design studio with Professor Tom Emerson at ETH Zurich.