West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Unveils Conceptual Plan Options

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has unveiled three Conceptual Plan Options for the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) during the opening ceremony for the Stage 2 Public Engagement exercise, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

The Stage 2 PE exercise will last for three months and run until November 20, 2010, providing the public with the opportunity to review all three options and voice their preference on features for the Authority’s consideration.

At the opening ceremony, the Chairman of the Board of the Authority, Henry Tang Ying-yen, said, “The District is starting to take shape, and the credit should go to our brilliant master planning teams as well as the people of Hong Kong and the arts and cultural stakeholders. Your enthusiasm and invaluable input during Stage 1 of the Public Engagement exercise helped spark the creative processes of these leading architectural teams. Each Conceptual Plan presents a vision of how the District can be developed into a centrepiece for the city – showing off Hong Kong’s unique character, integrating seamlessly with its surroundings, making cultural connections beyond our borders, and becoming a part of our social fabric.”

The three Conceptual Plan Options revealed that day are:

• City Park – prepared by Foster + Partners, led by Lord Norman Foster;
• Cultural Connect: Key to Sustained Vitality – prepared by Rocco Design Architects Limited, led by Rocco Yim;
• Project for a New Dimension – prepared by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, led by Rem Koolhaas.

The Consultants’ designs follow the planning design principles laid down by the Authority for the project’s development, which include Creativity, Accessibility, Connectivity, Integration, Vibrancy, Uniqueness and Sustainability. They have also incorporated views received from the people of Hong Kong, including the arts and cultural stakeholders, during the Stage 1 PE exercise which was held from October 2009 to January 2010.

Chairman of the Consultation Panel of the Authority, Professor Stephen Cheung, said, “The constructive input received from the Hong Kong people during the Stage 1 PE exercise provided an invaluable source of reference for the Authority and the Conceptual Plan Consultants. Now, we need your help again. The unveiling of the Conceptual Plans is an important milestone in this journey, and we are looking forward to hearing what the public think as we move towards selecting a master plan for the District.”

The questionnaires to be distributed during the Stage 2 PE exercise will ask the public to what extent the Conceptual Plan Options have incorporated the mainstream opinions received during Stage 1 PE. Public views will also be sought on individual attributes of each Conceptual Plan Option, the phasing of the Core Arts and Cultural Facilities, as well as the other arts and cultural facilities and education-related facilities that should be considered.

Views from the exercise will have significant bearings on the Conceptual Plan Option eventually selected by the Authority. In making the selection, the Authority will also consider a basket of criteria: creativity, accessibility, connectivity, integration, vibrancy, uniqueness and sustainability, as well as the technical and financial merits of the Plans and their response in meeting aspirations of arts and culture groups.

Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Graham Sheffield, said, “The Stage 2 PE exercise marks a critical phase when the WKCD begins to transform from abstract to reality. What Hong Kong people think about the plans’ different features will help inform our decision, benefiting not only the WKCD but also future generations of Hong Kong citizens as well as visitors to this great city. We look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts over the next three months.”

The Conceptual Plan Options will be presented to the public in the form of scale models, interactive 3D models, photomontages and animated videos. They will be available for viewing and comment during a series of exhibitions across the territory, public forums as well as on the Authority’s website. Interested public may also join guided tours to learn more about the three plans. For more information on the event calendar and how to participate, visit www.wkcda.hk.