To be completed in 2012, the Centennial Campus will be built to the west of the existing campus. The site, previously occupied by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), includes three buildings that date back to the 1920s and 1930s. These structures are not only of architectural interest, but also reflect the social and cultural conditions of their time. With the development of the new Centennial Campus, these heritage buildings will be conserved.

The two residential buildings will become part of the main entrance plaza of the Centennial Campus, subject to adaptive conversion to more appropriate uses for university members as well as public. For the Elliot Treatment Works Building, we will discuss the conservation options with the Water Supplies Department after seeking views from the public.

A Working Group on Heritage has been formed to collect views from stakeholders on the possible future uses of the three heritage buildings. The stakeholders include staff, students and alumni of the University; relevant government departments and bodies, as well as the general public.

The future uses of the three heritage buildings should be in line with the following principles:

• Be compatible with the overall campus design and functions;
• Have minimal impact on the historical values and the structural integrity of the buildings;
• Support the vision of building a “University District”.