We came across this old warehouse. The outside looked drab with the dark red bricks and uniformed windows. It is long and narrow. Inside is nice.
It was a mixed-use factory from the early 20th or late 19th century. There are loft houses, restaurants, startups and small studios for artists. It is a community fused together. It is a representation of what buildings should be, not just a single use but multiple to bring a sense of community rather than just separated places: houses in this area, shops in this and studio spaces over here. Instead it all comes together, as it should.
Along the building is the canal system that dominates Amsterdam acting as a kind of freeway. In the canals next to this long building; children are jumping into the water from the footbridge. They are laughing and having a good time as the parents watch from below.
My love and I turned to each other and wished this type of building could exist in Hong Kong.