West Kowloon Cultural District Authority launches its first Young Architects & Designers Competition to showcase Hong Kong creativity

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) announces the launch of its very first Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition. Envisaged to provide a platform for emerging architects and designers to showcase their creativity and potential, as well as gain valuable experience, the competition invites young professionals to participate in an innovative challenge to design a Temporary Pavilion, to be built inside the Nursery Park at the West Kowloon Cultural District.  


The competition is open to all residents (whether residing in Hong Kong, the Mainland or elsewhere), who are studying or have graduated in the fields of Architecture, Design or a related discipline in the last 10 years. Applicants have an exclusive chance to see their ideas on paper turned into reality with the support of the WKCDA. The winning entry will be awarded a prize of HK$250,000 and will see their design built on the West Kowloon Cultural District site, There will also be two commendation prizes with a value of HKD $100,000 each.


Judging of the entries to the competiton will take place in two stages: (1) a panel of 10 local and international experts will judge the submitted designs on their originality, innovation and suitability, shortlisting three entries for further development with the help of the WKCDA; (2) one of the three shortlisted designs will then be selected for completion as the Temporary Pavilion. Particular attention will be given to aspects of the design that will help reduce the environmental impact through innovation in the use of materials, the incorporation of green features, and considerations of recyclability.  A total of HK$5 million has been set aside by the WKCDA to cover all relevant construction costs.


To judge the competition, the WKCDA has put together a panel of highly respected judges from Hong Kong and abroad: Mr Aric CHEN, M+ Lead Curator of Design & Architecture; Mr Marvin CHEN, President of Hong Kong Institute of Architects; Prof. Nelson CHEN, Director of School of Architecture, Chinese University of Hong Kong; 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; The Hon Victor LO Chung-wing, M+ Board Chairman; Prof. Nasrine SERAJI, Head of Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong; Mr Chris VAN DUIJN, Partner-in-charge of OMA Asia (Hong Kong) Ltd; and Ms Marisa YIU, Co-founder / Executive Director of Design Trust, Hong Kong.


“We are pleased to announce the launch of our very first Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition which we hope will encourage and nurture Hong Kong talent, as well as further demonstrate the West Kowloon Cultural District’s commitment to showcasing creativity,” said Mr Duncan Pescod, Chief Executive Officer of WKCDA. “We envisage that this competition will become an annual event providing a crucial platform for innovative temporary architecture as part of the cultural offering in the District, while raising the profile and visibility of Hong Kong’s creative standing, locally, regionally and internationally. We hope that over time, this competition will take its place alongside the many highly successful Pavilion Competitions held in cities like London, Melbourne and New York.”


The Temporary Pavilion, scheduled to open in the first half of 2018 in the Nursery Park, will offer spectacular harbour views and act as an informal public space where members of the community can relax and where talks, workshops, small events and performances can be held.


Organised by WKCDA, the Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition is supported by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects, The Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects, Federation of Hong Kong Designers Association, Hong Kong Design Centre, Construction Industry Council, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Department of Architecture, Chu Hai College of Higher Education and Hong Kong Design Institute.


For more details and initial applicant registration, please go www.westkowloon.hk/pavilioncompetition.

Competition Schedule 

Note:  Subject to the actual winning design selected, and in particular its status under relevant statutory requirements, the above program may have to be adjusted.

Submission Method 

Remarks

About West Kowloon Cultural District
Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a variety of theatre, performance, museum and exhibition spaces, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, as well as provide 23 hectares of public open space, including a two kilometre waterfront promenade.