Herzog & de Meuron Win M+ Competition
John Hill
1. July 2013
Winning design by Herzog & de Meuron, TFP Farrells. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority selected the Swiss firm to design the new museum of visual culture in Hong Kong.
Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, teamed with London's TFP Farrells, have won a design competition for M+, the Museum of Visual Culture in Hong Kong. The project, expected for completion in 2017, will be a major element in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Their design resembles an inverted "T", with the horizontal section serving galleries and the vertical piece above housing offices; the latter is faced with LEDs to become a billboard overlooking Victoria Harbor.
Winning design by Herzog & de Meuron, TFP Farrells. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Shortlisted design by SANAA. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Jacques Herzog describes the form as such: "For art to enter into the life of a city like Hong Kong it has to come from below, from its own foundations. Our M+ Project does exactly that, by literally emerging from the city's underground."
Shortlisted design by RPBW. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Shortlisted design by Shigeru Ban, Thomas Crow. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Herzog & de Meuron beat out five shortlisted firms, all big names: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Shigeru Ban Architects (with Thomas Chow Architects), SNØHETTA, Toyo Ito & Associates (with Benoy Limited).
Shortlisted design by SNØHETTA. Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
