Hong Kong’s Colonial Buildings Get a Cultural Transformation Courtesy Herzog and de Meuron, and Purcell
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In a collaborative project, Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, and UK-based conservation architects Purcell, have transformed Hong Kong’s former police station, central magistracy, and prison into a new, non-profit, cultural hub called Tai Kwun, meaninHong Kong’s Colonial Buildings Get a Cultural Transformation Courtesy Herzog and de Meuron, and Purcell
In a collaborative project, Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, and UK-based conservation architects Purcell, have transformed Hong Kong’s former police station, central magistracy, and prison into a new, non-profit, cultural hub called Tai Kwun, meaning “Big Station.” The complex is the city’s largest heritage conservation project till date. Most of Hong Kong’s colonial buildings were not protected, and usually the ones located centrally were bulldozed for high-rise commercial use. The Tai Kwun art center, which spans an area of 27,000 square meters, stands out from this trend. Though the compound is only a few minutes’ walk from the city’s financial hub, this colonial complex is one of the first to be restored as a cultural center.As stated by the Swiss architecture firm, ‘’the former central police station, the central magistracy, and the Victoria Prison is a walled compound of heritage buildings established by the British after 1841.” The site is steeped in history having served as a Japanese army base during the Second World War. Ho Chi Minh was also imprisoned here in the 1930s. The site is one of Hong Kong’s most important remaining historic monuments and reminds of the city’s colonial past, standing in stark contrast to the contemporary commercial buildings in its surroundings.In 2006, the site was decommissioned and vacated, leaving behind, what Herzog and de Meuron describes as, “a rare courtyard with a set of open grounds and a collection of unique buildings in the midst of one of the densest cities in the world.” That same year, the Swiss architects started work on revamping the site while retaining its cultural heritage. Though they added two new buildings to the site later, most of the complex has been retained in its original form, including the prison cells with their original numbers and locks.To conserve the colonial architecture of the buildings, Herzog and de Meuron collaborated with conservation architects Purcell, who as reported by dezeen, “preserved the outdoor corridors, arches, and pillars of the old brick structures. Herzog and de Meuron designed a series of interventions across the six-acre (2.4-hectare) site, while local firm Roco Design Architects acted as executive architect for the project.”The Hong Kong Jockey Club, in partnership with the Hong Kong Government, leads the project. Designed to host six to eight exhibitions a year, the Tai Kwun Contemporary art center, as described by dezeen, “is positioned on a corner lot and is walled-in with masonry structures along Hollywood Road and Chancery Lane. Their gabled roofs reflect a bygone era in the skyscraper-prevalent city. Visitors walk through the main gates, past a series of former administrative buildings, and into the main plaza and former Victoria Prison. The prison is now a museum that recounts its former use.”Describing the complex, dezeen states, “At the rear of the complex is a high masonry wall, which tops out at a sidewalk to reveal Hong Kong’s towering cityscape.” The two new buildings by Herzog and de Meuron, a gallery for Contemporary art and a cube-shaped 200-seat auditorium for the performing arts, film screenings, and events, stand close to the rear complex. As described by Wallpaper, “both the buildings are clad in monumental perforated aluminum bricks that stand out among the existing buildings’ handsome granite and brick facades.”Describing the importance of the Tai Kwun complex, Tobias Berger, Tai Kwun’s head of arts stated, “It is the connection between heritage and contemporary that is important: the buildings are seamlessly connected and you see that also in our mentality.” https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more