Background

Winning Design: Foster + Partners

In search of the ideal team to develop the Conceptual Plan for the District, three conceptual plan consultants Foster + Partners, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and Rocco Design Architects Limited were invited to present their visions for the West Kowloon Cultural District.

While Rocco Design Architects Limited and OMA’s ideas were of the highest standard, it was Foster + Partners’ concept that ultimately captured the city’s imagination and won the hearts and minds of the people, as reflected in the second Public Engagement Exercise. The Board selected Foster+Partners' City Park as the preferred Conceptual Plan Option in March 2011.

“Iconic, world-class and for everyone – this is our mission.” Norman Foster

Foster + Partners proposed developing the District into the world’s largest cultural quarter, where art and learning blend with 23 hectares of open space. Emphasising great visitor experience, six themes form the backbone of their design: innovation, inspiration, world-class, responsiveness, accessibility and sustainability.

In 2011, their conceptual plan was developed into the West Kowloon Cultural District proposed Development Plan A Place for Everyone, which was unveiled to the wider arts community and the public during the third Public Engagement Exercise. Opinions expressed were taken into account and were used to finalise the plan.