"Growing Up" by New Office Works
Hong Kong
China
The West Kowloon Competition Pavilion, “Growing Up” by the Hong Kong based architectural practice New Office Works, is now on view on the nascent cultural district’s waterfront promenade. Located close to the newly opened Art Park, this striking timber structure is the winning design in the West Kowloon Cultural District’s inaugural “Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition”. It provides stunning harbour and sunset views as well as a space for leisure and relaxation and will be located on the waterfront site for six months.
Inspired by the growth of new trees in the surrounding park areas, New Office Works has designed a pavilion that captures everyday elements fundamental to Hong Kong, embedding and cultivating them within the fabric of the emerging arts and cultural hub. The design features a large sloped polycarbonate roof that is supported by a series of timber columns (made from imported Pinus Slyvestries) which, like the seedlings in the adjacent tree nursery, grow from an intimate human to monumental harbour scale. Below, a stepped landscape reminiscent Hong Kong’s hilly topography, provides both seating and stage for different activities. Despite its simple volume, each angle of the pavilion reveals a different sense of porosity, materiality and scale. The north and south elevations are characterised by transparency, the surrounding trees acting as a seamless backdrop visible between the pavilion’s columns. However, as one moves around to face west the columns overlap in perspective, and the pavilion edge becomes more solid and frames the waterfront view. The pavilion appears the densest from the east, the structure of the steps forming an intricate screen to accentuate the transition from park to waterfront. In contrast, an open gathering space and distinct profile emerges viewed from the harbour. The pavilion’s multifaceted character truly reflects the rich diversity of Hong Kong. The pavilion open to the public to enjoy from 9am to 9pm each day. After the pavilion’s display period it is designed so it can be demounted and moved to another location.
This new pavilion design competition was conceived with the specific aim of providing a unique opportunity for emerging Hong Kong architects and designers to design and build an iconic pavilion taking inspiration from its unique location. The winning design by Paul Tse and Evelyn Ting (New Office Works), was picked by a jury of leading architects and professionals from Hong Kong and abroad, including Mr James Corner, Founder and Director of James Corner Field Operations (New York); Mr Sou Fujimoto of Sou Fujimoto Architects (Tokyo); Mr Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio (London); Mr Aric Chen, Curatorial Director of the Design Miami/ (Miami Beach).
For media enquiries
Communications and Public Affairs Department
West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Hy Mo
T +852 2200 0714
hy.mo [at] wkcda.hk
About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, providing 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.
