hong kong boundaries crossing facilities - 'pearl river necklace' by NL architects
all images courtesy NL architects


dutch NL architects have sent in images of their 'pearl river necklace', a proposal for
the hong kong boundary crossing facilities international ideas competition. the aim for
entrants was to create a new landmark to reflect hong kong as a vibrant global
and metropolitan city.



the bridge


there is an existing master plan, however NL architects proposed to make some adjustments
to the configurations to improve the area.'pearl river necklace' is an attempt to unite the knot.
it is a breakdown of the complexities of the border crossing facilities into a necklace.
the objective was to bring to the surface the beauty of the hong kong boundaries crossing facilities,
at the same time reinforcing the attractiveness of the projected hong kong - zhuhai - macau bridge.



bisecting the bridge


bisecting the enormous complexity of the boundary crossing facility in its core elements -
bus/coach passenger clearance and private car and cargo checkpoints, allows for a simpler
organization.



in hong kong driving on the left


hong kong has traffic on the left where china has traffic on the right. in principle this has to be
taken into consideration with the border crossing facilities. within the proposed master layout
plan this leads to fairly unarticulated intersections. it solves the switch, but does not communicate
it 'explicitly'.



the 'flipper'

the flipper is a device designed to 'celebrate' the traffic switch. it aims to redirect traffic in
an efficient safe way.



in the hong kong section



entering hong kong



hong kong area



crossing over to china



driving on the right side



where the two sections meet



entering the border crossing road






the border crossing facilities from a distance


they propose an archipelago of artificial islands on the border of hong kong and china;
a string of specifically formed islands that derive their from and beauty from their
function.



the islands with parking facilities and bus depots



the islands with parking facilities and bus depots


the islands with parking facilities and bus depots



the islands with parking facilities and bus depots



the islands with parking facilities and bus depots



the airport






in the proposed master layout the border crossing facilities paradoxically, are not located
on the border. NL architects suggest to move to an alternative location.



drawings of the island facilities



drawings of the island facilities



drawings of the island facilities



the site plan


the necklace/bracelet system - each incoporating sections of the road


with the exisiting plan at the time of crossing the road, it is not perpendicular to the road
you travel on. if the border crossing facilities will be part of the 'bracelet' system,
it can easily be rotated 90 degrees.



'bracelet system'



pivate car kiosk arrangement


unfolding the private car kiosks into a monumental linear structure automatically transforms
the shape of the island. a by pass for the bus and coach access is created through the middle.



structure of road


'pearl river necklace' proposes to elevate the section of hong kong zhuhai macau bridge
right in front of the entrance to the tunnel. the additional heightened position will give
the opportunity to overlook the destination.



elevation of the bridge


the passenger clearance building and its arteries have a good organization. by arranging
the drop off bays on the first level passengers have to descend only. the walking distances
are reduced and made more comfortable. a symmetrical typology is taken out of the
system and an interlocking system emerges.



the passenger clearance building



the passenger clearance building - interior



plan


plan