New Territories (Shatin) Forensic Medicine Centre is located at Fu Shan, Shatin, for the reprovisioning of Fu Shan Public Mortuary. It is built to provide more body storage spaces in response to the quest of increasing demand in Hong Kong and enhance the quality of public mortuary services. The site is around 6,600 sq.m. The building comprises eight autopsy suites, nine cold rooms and one deep freezer, functional facilities including body identification areas, interview rooms, facilities for bereavement services, autopsy viewing rooms, laboratories and offices, etc. This Forensic Medicine Centre is designed to meet the modern standards of public mortuary.

This idea of death is expressed by dissolving solid bodies as a form of container back to nature. Insulated cold rooms at the core offset to mediate between highly controlled forensic facilities to outdoor ceremonial gardens. Transparency constructed through skylights, open staircases, large windows and layered materials at the transitional space deconstructs building facades to reach out to the natural landscape.

On the ground floor, three ceremony halls are introduced to serve as a space for rituals. Simple geometry is formed by fairfaced concrete wall and metal frames. Translucent glass blocks are used on the side wall facing the ceremony garden to bring natural light to the interior and offer privacy to the families. The backdrop of the hall is cladded with copper sheet to create a dignified and respectful environment for the deceased and their families before the final departure. After the ceremony, the families will leave the hall through the ceremony garden filled with trees and planting as a way to calm their mind and connect back to nature.

New Territories (Shatin) Forensic Medicine Centre is one of the pioneer projects of ArchSD, which integrates advanced technologies and digital infrastructure such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP), and Cloud-based Common Data Environment (CDE). With technological advancements and innovative construction methods, it has successfully saved manpower and enhanced site safety, construction efficiency and improved project sustainability performance.