NL architects: hong kong boundaries crossing facilities

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 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

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