Another building that reminds viewers of brutalist architecture.  The Academic Community Hall at Hong Kong Baptist University is a two-tier auditorium space that can seat more than 1,300 audiences. In addition to hosting university functions, it was one of the most popular and important performing venues in the 1970s.  The Academic Community Hall was first conceived and funded by Dr. Lam Chi-fung. However, Dr. Lam passed away before the project began. To honor Dr. Lam, the building was expanded into a larger-scale project and became a part of the Lam Chi-fung Memorial Building.  Designed by Eric Cumine, the architect behind Harbour City and old Shaw House, the Academic Community Hall has a bulky and almost windowless mass on top and a slightly narrower mass in the bottom. A grand staircase that leads up to the entrance in the building has become the most recognizable feature of the auditorium. The hall may be demolished in the near future as a part of Hong Kong Baptist University’s redevelopment project. A spokesperson of HKBU told the Coconuts’ reporter in an email that the Academic Community Hall was “limited by its design and construction”. The email also pointed out other problems faced by the hall including the lack of stage backdrop space, absence of lifts and high maintenance costs.