Construction has reached the roof level in Zaha Hadid Architect’s development above Hong Kong High-Speed Rail West Kowloon Terminus. Adjacent to the West Kowloon Cultural District, this development connects established and emerging neighborhoods with a network of public gardens and landscaped plazas. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), it seeks to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding station and rooftop park, offering civic, office, and retail spaces.
Located at the heart of West Kowloon, this landmark structure sits above the West Kowloon Station high-speed rail terminus, which has remained operational throughout construction. As the sole Hong Kong Station on the Guangzhou-Schenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the terminus is an essential gateway between Hong Kong and mainland China. The new development is also adjacent to the Kowloon and Austin stations of Hong Kong’s MTR metro network, acting as a vital segment of the 1.5 km landscaped pedestrian West Kowloown Parkway. It provides direct access to the harbor side and parks of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
The development features nearly 9,290 square meters of green terraces, plazas, and atriums boasting shopping and dining on its lower five levels. It includes two pairs of interconnected office towers at the northern and southern ends, framing a central plaza with a pavilion that hosts lifts connecting to the lower levels. Linked to the West Kowloon Parkway, the plaza offers numerous sheltered outdoor gathering spaces for public events and recreation.
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The design seeks to maximize outdoor public space and enhance natural ventilation, respecting the ridgeline of Kowwloon’s mountains to the north. This maintains the mountain views across the harbor on Hong Kong Island. The scheme also provides people-centric workspaces with adaptable floor plates up to 6690 square meters, offering access to planted terraces on all floors and views over Hong Kong. The towers, divided into interconnected “petals” of varying orientations and heights, create a dynamic silhouette on West Kowloon’s skyline. In fact, each tower tapers inward to reduce the perceived volume and boasts vertical shading pleats on the facades that extend over each rooftop to shelter roof terraces and sky gardens.
The towers also lean inward at lower levels, lowering their footprint to increase outdoor space and encourage pedestrian circulation. High-performance façades with low heat transfer values and solar shading fins are elements of the development, which achieved an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating in addition to the highest LEED, WELL, and HK BEAM Plus pre-certifications. Additionally, photovoltaic panels integrated into the façade and roof level lower the amount of energy drawn from the city’s electrical system. Guaranteeing optimal comfort and air quality at substantial energy savings, the design boasts a central facility featuring heat recovery, seawater cooling, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and an intelligent building management system.
Ultimately, this landmark development at the heart of Hong Kong’s transport system creates new open spaces for Kowloon’s residents. Additionally, it provides places for work and leisure that are intended to improve overall well-being. Boasting a unique location within one of the world’s most dynamic city centers, the project seeks to open up new public spaces by connecting to the surrounding environment and focusing on design efficiency.
In the design world, transport hubs are becoming key opportunities for architects to create lively communal spaces that integrate into the urban fabric. In other similar news, Zaha Hadid Architects was recently announced as the winner of the international competition for the design of the Riga Ropax Terminal in Latvia, with a proposal entailing the repurposing of an existing shipping warehouse. In China, MAD Architects has recently announced the completion of the Jiaxing Train Station, located in the historic city of Jiaxing. Similarly, MAD Architects just unveiled the design for the Lishui Airport in China dubbed “forest city,” boasting green landscapes and valleys in the Southwest Zhejiang Province.
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