designs for temporary pavilion in hong kong offer public space on the water

in april 2017, the hong kong young architects & designers competition called for a temporary pavilion to be built in the west kowloon nursery park. the winning pavilion will be constructed on a waterfront location that offers harbor and sunset views and should offer an inviting, informal public space to enhance visitor experience.

the design for ‘cityscape’ features voids with suspended drapes

320 submissions were received which were judged by an expert panel of local and international jurors including curator aric chen. the three shortlisted designs by EXP+, new office works, and zhang ruizhao, featured here, demonstrate the top designs, selected from an overwhelming number of submissions.

the pavilion reveals views of the waterfront and setting sun

‘skycamp’ designed by EXP+, proposes suspension as a core design element. the design is characterized by a large void, where suspended fabric floats and drifts. the designers describe the goal behind their design: ‘to open our mind and senses to get closer to nature at the heart of the city’.

‘growing up’ features a network of scaffolding

‘growing up’, designed by ‘new office works’, features a network of scaffolding that creates new spaces for community gathering. the design captures everyday elements fundamental to hong kong and embeds them within the fabric of a soon-to-be major arts and cultural center.

the design embeds elements from hong kong’s city fabric

‘infinity platform’ was inspired by the traditional east asian folding fan, an ancient and clever trick. the design plays with space and surface, by folding and rearranging planes to create floors, walls, and windows. the nine floor slabs can swiftly change from ceiling to stair, or from floor to canopy, by rotating around the core.

conceptual sketches for the pavilion

the pavilion has been commissioned by the west kowloon cultural district, stretching across 40 hectares to become one of the largest cultural projects in the world. the venue blends art, education and open space to create a vibrant cultural quarter for hong kong. providing 23 hectares of public open space with a vibrant harbor-front promenade it will also include a variety of arts and cultural facilities that will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and arts and cultural events.

‘infinity platform’ was inspired by the traditional east asian folding fan

the nine floor slabs can be rotated to create different configurations

the design plays with space and surface, by folding and rearranging planes to create floors