RSHP and Aedas design hong kong border crossing facility

rogers stirk harbour + partners (RSHP) and Aedas have teamed up to design a building that houses the customs and immigration facilities for travelers leaving and entering hong kong via the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge: the hong kong–zhuhai–macao bridge (or HZMB for short). the project, which connects the three major metropolises, intends to improve the overall connectivity of the greater bay area while vastly reducing travel time between cities.

the building is located on a new 150-hectare artificial island

built on a new 150-hectare artificial island, the passenger clearance building (PCB) is positioned at the border and has been conceived as a new ‘front door’ for hong kong. in developing the project, RSHP and Aedas considered how its users will move around the site. as the building will be constantly filled with people, the design team sought to make circulation as simple as possible.

the project has been conceived as a new ‘front door’ for hong kong

the building’s prefabricated waveform roof, which references the undulating flow of surrounding waters, helps with wayfinding, while movement through the structure is punctuated with four double-height voids positioned over reflecting pools. this allows natural daylight to penetrate all levels of the building and ensures a visual connection between departures on the first floor and arrivals on the ground floor.

four double-height voids are positioned over reflecting pools

‘the bridge is a vital project for the 69 million population of the greater bay area megapolis of southern china, which includes hong kong, macau, and nine mainland cities and is a powerhouse of innovation and economic growth,’ explains keith griffiths, chairman and global design director of Aedas. ‘this building serves as a beautiful gateway to hong kong and we are honored to have designed it with our design partner, RSHP.’

the modular roof was efficiently prefabricated offsite

‘I am delighted to be working on such an innovative project, which brings beauty and elegance to the everyday activity of travel,’ adds richard paul, who led RSHP’s architectural team. ‘the new crossing will benefit those living and working in the region greatly with enhanced connectivity as well as highlighting the beautiful roof form which responds to the undulating mountainous backdrop of such a beautiful local environment.’

the building presents views to a natural skyline of evergreen mountains and hills