STUDENT FEATURE

Museum – Appreciate Hong Kong Architecture in Vertical Vision

In Yau Ma Tei stands a typical urban complex comprising a massive parking block, punctured by a flying highway, and capped by a public library. In this project, the student was asked to rebuild the mega-complex to accommodate the original car park and public library, with the addition of a new museum. The proposed Hong Kong Architecture and Urbanism Centre should not only be a museum but also an inventive approach to creating and understanding large, multifunctional and high urban environments.

With Hong Kong’s limited space and a growing population, the natural direction of the city’s buildings is ever upward. When we look up, we see an interesting skyline. A vertical city that is ‘built up, not out’ is the main concept and inspiration for this project.

SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT
Spatial arrangement is key to designing this building with different uses. The museum is placed on basements 1 and 2; the entrance and landscape are on the ground floor; the theatre and exhibition areas are on the first to third floors; and the car park occupies the fifth to 12th floor. An inverted ‘V’ shape, which is multiple storeys high and can be viewed from the outside, marks the highway’s access through the building.

The building’s simple cube-like exterior contrasts with the interior’s geometric elements created by irregularly shaped floor levels stacked on top of one another in a vertical dimension. Perspective skills are used to shape the building, which also showcases Hong Kong’s architecture and distinctive geometric angles.

Another design highlight of this project is the suspended structure that provides a column-free space for the museum. It will attract people to look upward and appreciate the vertical city concept even more.

To give the façade a Green dimension, ivy is planted to grow on the outer walls. The green living wall adds insulation to the building and gives it a chic urban appeal.

 

PROJECT DATA
Student Name: Lee Ming Yin
School: Curtin University
Project Name: Museum – Appreciate Hong Kong Architecture in Vertical Vision
Location: Yau Ma Tei
Images/Photos: Lee Ming Yin