FEATURES
WEST KOWLOON RECLAMATION CULTURAL DISTRICT: BEST CONCEPT PLANS ON SHOW
Doreen Chan, Senior Town Planner, Planning Department
A team led by Foster ad Partners was the first prize-winner of the Government's open competition for conceptual proposals for the southern tip of the West Kowloon Reclamation. The proposals called for developing the area into an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district that would provide a unique attraction for local people and visitors.
The competition, which opened in April last year, attracted 161 entries, of which 71 were from Hong Kong and 90 spanning the globe from 30 countries.
The Competition Jury was chaired by Lord Rothschild from the United Kingdom. The other jurors were prominent people from within and outside Hong Kong with expertise in the fields of architecture, culture and heritage, engineering, planning, strategic development and tourism.
THE WINNERS
The winning entries were announced on February 28. Their key features and the Jury's comments are as follows:
First Prize: entry submitted by a team led by Foster and Partners
This concept plan features a wavy horizontal layered structure covered by a large canopy; a long area of commercial, retail and entertainment uses stretching towards a "cultural hub" in the west; a major performance venue, a concert hall, theatres and museums in the "cultural hub" as the main arts and cultural facilities; and a large lagoon and a continuous promenade along the southern waterfront.
The Jury felt that this submission, more than any other,
fulfilled the purpose of the competition, which is to define a conceptual architectural
plan to establish Hong Kong as a city of world-class arts and cultural activities.
They felt that its signature feature, a great canopy, creates a unique and memorable
landmark that will become a major tourist attraction. They considered that the
conceptual master layout plan organises the site to take full advantage of its
prime waterfront location and its proximity to Kowloon Park and the Canton Road
retail district. They noted that the combination of uses, including auditoria,
museums, galleries and performance venues, along with a dense collection of
shops, bars and retail spaces, lends a great vitality to the scheme and that
the continuous promenade along the waterfront further enhances the
development for cultural and commercial purposes.
The Jury felt that this bold scheme is a clear and deserving winner of the competition and that it would come to symbolise the community's vision of Hong Kong as a future centre of arts and culture.
Second Prize: entry submitted by a team led by Philip Y K Liao
This concept plan features an innovative design concept with the northern part proposed for medium-rise office, hotel and residential uses and the southern part comprising a series of "floating islands" for various shopping and entertainment uses. It has a modern, geometrical built-form, an internal waterway and an arts and cultural crescent housing an opera house and a major theatre.
The Jury felt that this submission had immense energy
and dynamism in its bold horizontal architectural forms and was well suited
to the vibrant nature of Hong Kong. They noted that it has many interesting
ideas. Imaginative contouring of the site produces a waterfront park and green
oases within the landscape. The extensive use of water - pools, waterfalls and
mists - as a landscape element is prevalent throughout the master plan and culminates
in a waterway running the
length of the scheme area, effectively bringing a part of Victoria Harbour onto
the site.
The Jury noted that, in several aspects, the second prize-winning scheme has similar features to the winning submission, including horizontality, a multiplicity of environments, a coherent design and a distinctive image with a progressive spirit. They also felt, however, that the scheme does not quite have the same expressive authority of the winner and is less straight-forward in accommodating some components.
THREE HONOURABLE MENTIONS OF EQUAL STANDING
Three schemes were selected by the Jury for Honourable Mentions because they offered interesting alternative ways in which the site could be tackled.
Honourable Mention: entry submitted by a team led by Minoru Takeyama
This concept plan features a low-rise linear structure spanning the entire site, interpolated with several elliptical buildings; and an art mall to accommodate key facilities including art galleries, exhibition halls, theatres, a library and an art village.
The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry for its elegant and well-balanced simplicity and the appropriate distinctions it draws between cultural and commercial uses.
Honourable Mention: entry submitted by a joint team led by Alan Macdonald, Urbis - LPT (Architects) Association
This concept plan features several sub-districts for mixed arts, cultural, residential, office and retail uses; predominantly low-rise building developments resembling London's West End area; and an opera house, a grand theatre, a maritime museum and an arts academy as the main arts and cultural facilities.
The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry for its "fieldscape" of a fine grain of individual buildings, landscapes and public spaces, intended to create a vibrant congenial area of individual galleries and theatres on a par with the lively West End area of London.
Honourable Mention: entry submitted by a team led by Rocco Yim Sen-kee
This concept plan features a "leaf-shaped" land-use pattern sub-divided into four main districts comprising the North Bank, the South Bank, a Central Spine and the West End; a rhythmic built-form and a simple layout for land-use distribution; and an opera house, a concert hall, a theatre complex and a museum plaza as the key arts and cultural facilities.
The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry for its innovative design and the unifying feature of a circulation spine connecting and providing access to all the many activities on the site. This design takes great advantage of a multi-level urban promenade along the waterfront. It also proposes an upbeat, media-oriented image and takes explicit advantage of the site's location and its outlook towards central Hong Kong. The Jury considered it a very lively and compelling solution.
PRIZE PRESENTATION
The five winning project teams received their hard-earned and well-deserved prizes from the former Secretary for Planning and Lands, John Tsang, at a ceremony in the Cultural Centre on April 18. The first prize-winner received $3 million, the second prize-winner received $1.5 million and each of the three winners awarded honourable mentions received $800,000. The winning teams comprise professionals in the planning, architectural and related fields from within and outside Hong Kong.
EXHIBITION OF THE WINNING ENTRIES
The winning entries are being displayed in a touring exhibition. Please visit the competition's website at http://www.plb.gov.hk/competition for information on the dates and venues of the exhibition.
WAY FORWARD
The Government is formulating an implementation strategy for the development of the new arts, cultural and entertainment district on the basis of the winning conceptual proposals, as appropriate. Further details will be announced soon.
Last updated on 30 July 2002