What are West Kowloon’s immediate needs, considering its emphasis on culture and its transition into a world-class cultural destination?

Before Hong Kong was a metropolis of skyscrapers, the predominate building typology was the walled village. Forming the social centre of each village was the ancestral, or middle hall, a place dedicated to the village ancestors.

Our concept considers West Kowloon as a contemporary art village, with the pavilion serving as the middle hall where people can socialise freely as in the traditional walled villages of Hong Kong. We propose to break down the walled element of the walled village while retaining its socialising character. The walls on either side of the middle hall are literally taken down, opening up the interior of the building and forming performance spaces on either side of the pavilion while maintaining the overall dimension and proportion of the ancestral hall. Incorporated into the pavilion’s façade, wooden benches are freely adaptable by visitors for their use around WKCD.

With the performance spaces opening onto the large squares which front the pavilion, the spaces are ideally suited for performances which could be arranged by organizations from time to time. When there are no performances, the spaces are able to be used flexibly by the public.