zaha hadid: innovation tower at hong kong polytechnic university

‘innovation tower’ by zaha hadid, hong kong render © zaha hadid architects

the hong kong polytechnic university recently held the topping-out ceremony for the ‘jockey club innovation tower’ on september 24, in hong kong, china. architect zaha hadid congratulated the institution stating ‘it is a very important project for us, particularly because it’s in hong kong, the city where my career started. I have always had tremendous affection for it.’

on completion, the structure will be home to PolyU school of design and the newly established jockey club design institute for social innovation. the tower is located at the northeastern tip of the university campus and is expected to be completed in 2013. the structure will provide 15,000 square meters of net floor area and will accommodate 1800 staff and students. it will house a lecture hall, 10 classrooms, studios and workshops as well as a museum, exhibition space and a communal viewing lounge.

image © zaha hadid architects

the building’s design will be a symbolic beacon and will drive the development of hong kong as a design hub in asia. the studio re-examined the traditional characteristics of a tower and podium to create a seamlessly fluid structure. the surrounding fields have been raised to create a new landscape and situate the main entrance with an area below used for routes to the main campus.

from the entry foyer, a long escalator penetrates the upper four levels becoming an upward cascade of glazed exhibitions and events allowing the students to visually capture the passage of circulation. these paths promote new opportunities of interaction between the diverse types of users. voids bring in natural daylight, fresh air and the sense of community, allowing the programs of the tower, which are made up of learning clusters and central facilities to coordinate repertoires and dialogues between the respective volumes.

landscaping image © zaha hadid architects

exterior perspective image © zaha hadid architects

penetrating escalator image © zaha hadid architects

atrium of glazed workstations image © zaha hadid architects

image © zaha hadid architects

lounge area image © zaha hadid architects

panorama image © zaha hadid architects

video © zaha hadid architects

modeling image © zaha hadid architects

image © zaha hadid architects

detail of louvre image © zaha hadid architects

louvre study image © zaha hadid architects

circulation diagram image © zaha hadid architects

project info:

program: innovation tower, school of design development architect: zaha hadid architects design: zaha hadid with patrik schumacher project architect: woody yao project leader: simon yu project team: hinki kong, yang jingwen, jinqi huang, juan liu, bessie tam competition team: hinki kwong, melodie leung, long jiang, zhenjiang guo, yang jingwen, miron mutyaba, pavlos xanthopoulus, margarita yordanova valova local architect: AGC design ltd, AD+RG structural: ove arup & partners hong kong ltd building services: ove arup & partners hong kong ltd landscaping: team 73 hong kong ltd acoustic: westwood hong & associates ltd location: hong kong, china net occupied floor area: 15000 m2 height: 76m capacity: 1450

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