M+ Pavilion West Kowloon Building, Completion, Design, WKCDA Development, Photos

M+ Pavilion West Kowloon Building

WKCDA permanent venue for exhibitions and arts events, China – Hong Kong visual culture project

24 Jul 2016

M+ Pavilion West Kowloon Completion

M+ Pavilion Dedication Ceremony marks the first permanent venue for art exhibitions in WKCD

Design: Vincent Pang from VPANG architects ltd, Tynnon Chow from JET Architecture Inc and Lisa Cheung

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) celebrated the completion of M+ Pavilion, the first permanent venue for exhibitions and arts events in the West Kowloon Cultural District, marking a significant milestone in the development of the art hub.

At the dedication ceremony, Mrs Carrie Lam, Chairman of the WKCDA Board, was joined by Mr Duncan Pescod, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WKCDA; Ms Suhanya Raffel, Executive Director of M+ designate; Mr Doryun Chong, Deputy Director, Chief Curator and Acting Director of M+, and Mr Vincent Pang, Managing Director of VPANG Architects Ltd., to cut the ribbon to commemorate this historic moment.

Commending the project team for completing the facility on time and within budget, Mrs Lam said, “The M+ Pavilion is the first permanent facility to open in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) since the Development Plan was approved in January 2013. Although this facility is modest in scale, its completion marks a significant milestone in the development of this major cultural undertaking in Hong Kong. The opening of the M+ Pavilion will soon be followed by the opening of the Xiqu Centre in 2018, the Art Park including the Freespace with a black box theatre and an outdoor stage from 2018 in stages, as well as the M+ Building in 2019. The Lyric Theatre Complex has also entered detailed design stage and is expected to complete in 2020 and open in 2021. We will continue to develop the WKCD into a world-class art and cultural hub where everyone may relax, be inspired and enjoy an extraordinary cultural experience.”

“WKCD is a long-term strategic investment by the Hong Kong SAR Government to promote the development of art and creative industries, meet the growing cultural needs of the public, attract and nurture artistic talents, and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international art and cultural metropolis. Such a vision and commitment is something that should make us proud,” added Mrs Lam.

Mr Pescod expressed his gratitude for the concerted efforts by various parties – in particular members of the M+ board, WKCDA and M+ staff, architects, designers, and contractors, in realising the M+ Pavilion. “The dedication of M+ Pavilion is a small yet important step. This is a clear statement that we are going to deliver this ambitious project for the people of Hong Kong. Surrounded as it is by the construction of the Art Park, the M+ building and the excavation works for the Lyric Theatre Complex basement, it is clear for everyone to see that WKCD project as a whole is firmly underway.” said Mr Pescod at the event on 22 July 2016, Hong Kong.

The M+ Pavilion is designed by a team of three Hong Kong-born, young and energetic architects: Vincent Pang from VPANG architects ltd, Tynnon Chow from JET Architecture Inc and Lisa Cheung. After they won the first prize in the international design competition for the Pavilion, they have been appointed to work with the WKCDA to design and bring to fruition the Pavilion which will provide a flexible space to stage small-scale exhibitions and events.

Located within the Art Park amid public space, the M+ Pavilion is designed to offer a respite from hectic city life with a smart simplistic approach that allows it to blend into its environment. Mirrored external walls reflect the surrounding expanses of greenery and immerse the building in the Art Park setting. To further this experience, the Pavilion’s main exhibition space is elevated, allowing it to float above the foliage, creating the opportunity for artwork to be appreciated against a backdrop of the unparalleled Hong Kong Island skyline with spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. Inside, the gallery space feature polished concrete floors and white walls – a flexible backdrop for multidisciplinary art exhibitions and performances.

Apart from building hardware, M+ has already organised an array of exhibitions and public programmes including the well-received “Mobile M+: Live Art”, “M+ Sigg Collection Exhibition” and “M+ Rover”, to name just a few. M+ is also fully committed to teaching and nurturing the younger generation through docent volunteer programmes and regular internship schemes.

In the run-up to the opening of M+ in 2019, the Pavilion will host a series of thematic exhibitions displaying selections from the M+ Collection encompassing the three main areas of visual art, design and architecture, and moving image for public viewing. The inaugural exhibition in September will be Tsang Kin-Wah: Nothing, a new commission by the Hong Kong artist following his critically acclaimed exhibition The Infinite Nothing, which represented Hong Kong at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. Other thematic exhibitions that follow will highlight M+’s growing design collection and present a project on Hong Kong popular culture.

After the opening of the main M+ building where the museum will be housed, the Pavilion will be available for Hong Kong’s vibrant creative communities ― artists, designers, architects, and other organisations to stage exhibitions and events.

About West Kowloon Cultural District
Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a complex of theatres, performance spaces, and M+, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, as well as provide 23 hectares of public open space, including a two kilometre waterfront promenade.

About M+
Hong Kong’s museum for visual culture – encompassing twentieth and twenty-first century art, design and architecture, and moving image from Hong Kong, China, Asia, and beyond – M+ will be one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary visual culture in the world. Located adjacent to the park on the waterfront, the museum building is scheduled to open in 2019.

M+ Pavilion West Kowloon Building photos Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and M+, Hong Kong

11 Jan 2014

M+ Architecture Exhibition

“Building M+: The Museum and Architecture Collection”

This landmark exhibition will offer a preview on the architectural design of the future M+ building as well as the museum’s growing architecture collection, the first of its kind in Asia, with the aim of broadening the public’s understanding of both.

image by architects

M+ Pavilion West Kowloon

24 Jan 2014

Arts Pavilion Competition Winner

WKCDA announces the results of the Arts Pavilion Design Competition

Design: VPANG architects ltd + JET Architecture Inc + Lisa Cheung

Location: West Kowloon, Hong Kong

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) have announced that VPANG architects ltd + JET Architecture Inc + Lisa Cheung, have been appointed to design the Arts Pavilion in the West Kowloon Cultural District, after achieving first prize in a single stage international design competition.

VPANG architects ltd + JET Architecture Inc + Lisa Cheung will work with the WKCDA to design and deliver an exhibition and event space for artists, designers and organisations to stage independent small-scale exhibitions and events in the Park at WKCD.

28 Jun 2013

M+ West Kowloon

WKCDA announces M+ West Kowloon Design Competition Winner

M+ Building Design Team Appointed as WKCDA Charts the Way Forward for Arts Hub

28 June 2013, Hong Kong – The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) announced today the appointment of Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells, a partnership of two leading architectural practices in the world and in Hong Kong, to design the building of M+, the museum for visual culture, in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD).

images by architects

M+ West Kowloon Design Competition Winners

Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells

M+ West Kowloon Design Competition Shortlist

Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells
Kazuyo Sejima+ Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Shigeru Ban Architects + Thomas Chow Architects
SNOHETTA
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects + Benoy Ltd

West Kowloon Design Competition : background on the M+ Building Design Competition

West Kowloon Development

West Kowloon Cultural District Art-themed Park
Shortlisted Design Teams news

image : Foster + Partners
West Kowloon Cultural District Art-themed Park – 8 Nov 2012
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (“WKCDA”) announced today a shortlist of seven design teams that have been invited to submit technical proposals for the development of Hong Kong’s first art-themed park, 14 hectares of landscaped public space for arts and culture at the West Kowloon Cultural District, by the waterfront in Kowloon.

9 Mar 2012

West Kowloon Cultural Complex Design Competition

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Announces Design Competition for its First Arts Venue

(March 9 2012, Hong Kong) The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) launched today a design competition to deliver one of the first landmark buildings for the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Xiqu Centre. The Chinese opera venue will provide a world-class facility for the preservation and development of the art form in Hong Kong and will be designed to host and produce the finest examples of Cantonese and other Chinese opera performances.

West Kowloon Cultural District Design Competition : WKCC Arts Venue

6 Oct 2011

West Kowloon Development Exhibition

Final public engagement exercise for West Kowloon Cultural District masterplan design by Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Complex – image by dbox branding & creative

Foster + Partners : Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Cultural Complex image : Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Cultural District – design by OMA
Office for Metropolitan Architecture

West Kowloon Cultural Complex image courtesy OMA
West Kowloon Cultural District