Campus tenancy renewal for Academy for Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University

In 2004, the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) rented the former Royal Air Force Officers’ Mess, a grade 1 historic building, with the HKSAR Government at concessionary monthly rent HK$50,000. The tenancy period was 5 years. In 2005, the Mess, dubbed “Kai Tak Campus,” was deployed as the Academy for Visual Arts (AVA) campus. The deployment of this historic building for academic purpose was in 2009 credited the UNESCO “Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation (Honourable Mention)”. Since the first agreement, the tenancy had been twice renewed and would be expiring in September 2012. The Government Property Agency requested HKBU to renew the tenancy at HK$300,000 per month, an amount comparable to property market rate. HKBU Administration hence planned for releasing Kai Tak Campus and relocating AVA to the Communication and Visual Arts (CVA) Building at the HKBU Kowloon Tong main campus cluster. AVA students were apprehensive of the sub-optimal facilities at the CVA Building. They formed “HKBU AVA Campus Development Concern Group” to lobby for the conservation of Kai Tak Campus. The Group organized artworks auction to fund-raise rent for the Campus. In August, the incident was resolved with the Education Bureau taking over as landlord and renewed the tenancy agreement with HKBU for 1 year. Monthly rent remained at HK$50,000.