Completed in 2019, the “Growing Up” West Kowloon Pavilion designed by New Office Works (NOW) captures familiar elements fundamental to Hong Kong, embedding and cultivating them within the fabric of a cultural center.
West Kowloon Pavilion Information
- Architects1-5: New Office Works
- Location: West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong
- Client: West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
- Topics: Pavilions, Wood Structures
- Area: 240 m2
- Project Year: 2019
- Photographs: © Kris Provoost, © Xu Liang Leon
The design process was really an exercise in close observation of things around us, and how to lend significance to various elements that comprise the city – steps, walkways, the way different roofs shed rainwater, palm trees.
– Ms Evelyn Ting, Co-founder of New Office Works
West Kowloon Pavilion Photographs
Text by the Architects
Just as growing trees requires good soil, the process of increasing culture requires a strong foundation of collective memories of the city. The “Growing Up” West Kowloon Pavilion captures familiar elements fundamental to Hong Kong, embedding and cultivating them within the fabric of a soon-to-be significant arts and cultural center.
A large sloped roof is supported by a series of timber columns that, like the seedlings in the adjacent nursery park, grow from an intimate human scale to the harbor scale. A stepped landscape below, reminiscent of the city’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 characterized by transparency, the surrounding trees a seamless backdrop between the pavilion’s slender columns. However, as one moves around and the columns overlap in perspective, 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 the park to the waterfront. In contrast, an open gathering space and distinct profile emerge from the harbor.
West Kowloon Pavilion Image Gallery
About New Office Works
New Office Works (NOW) is an architecture and design studio devoted to the production of creative spaces and objects. Based in Hong Kong, the office creates projects that build upon the vocabulary accumulated “then” while satisfying the needs and desires of “now.” Each project encompasses an exploration of detail and material, from buildings and interiors to art installations and furniture. The design process is a rigorous search for surprising results through hands-on crafting, making models and prototypes, and careful studies of textures and finishes.
Works from New Office Works
- Design Team: Paul Tse, Evelyn Ting
- Structural Consultant: BuroHappold Engineering (Victoria Janssens, Christoph Tritschler)
- Roof Cladding Consultant: Front Inc. (Evan Levelle)
- Technical Design: Simon Pickard
- Main Contractor: Sun Fook Kong Construction Limited
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