The definition of ‘disappearance’ may vary from person to person. For me, every object present in the world has its own function and purpose. Therefore, when one thing disappears, one thing must reappear to replace the past. For the case of architecture, it is common for a building to lose its original functionality and even structure. Therefore, brand-new built environments would mushroom over the remains of the past, which are highly influenced by the drastic changes of cultural and socio-economic factors. Take gentrification as an example, the Mills situated in Tsuen Wan used to be a factory for textile manufacturing. As the economy of Hong Kong gradually restructures, instead of facing complete obliteration, the building has gentrified itself into a business incubator and a place for leisure. Indeed, the original function of the Mills has disappeared, but new applications emerge. Besides, the spirit of Hong Kong decades ago is still within there.
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Abbas actually also believes that the notion of “disappearance/appearance” cannot be seen separately and always comes in pair. He also mentions that “… a space of disappearance has specific local and historical references, which makes it possible to conceptualize it in several other ways as well” (p.70). It relates very much to your example where the textile industry is disappearing from The Mills (and even from Hong Kong) and being replaced by other industry (or activities). Also, to better comprehend Abbas’ “Spatial Histories”, it is worthwhile to also put this notion into a bigger picture, for example, what does this particular appearance/disappearance mean to Hong Kong?, as he pointed out that “[T]he way the city has been made to appear in many representations in fact works to make it disappear” (p.71).