THE WINNERS OF HONG KONG SCIENCE PARK 'GIFT' DESIGN IDEAS COMPETITION

1st Prize: Seeding Architecture 
Project team: Chik Tsz Ting, Eugene Kiang, Alan Siu Lun Wu, Tang Wai Kwong, Ho Lai Ki & Hui Po Man

Our proposal starts with an imagination of the best scenario for this piece of land by simply having the site fully covered with natural vegetation, in other words, without building forms. We decided to maintain as close as possible to such best scenario by lifting the land up to form a 'landscape' which rises from ground, and fill the whole sloping roof surface with almost 100% vegetation. The design also enhances cross ventilation and permeability.

The main corridors and lift lobbies are designed to be open-sided. The sloping roof allows wind to travel smoothly across the site. Main spaces, including cafe and offices, are placed along the northern side to capture the Tolo Harbour view, and away from the noisy main road. Because of the spaciousness of the surroundings, these main areas are still receiving sufficient daylight without being overheated. Each main floor is equipped with and open terrace deck for enjoying the sun and nice view.

2nd Prize: The Green Carpet 
Project team: Wong Hin Fai & Lee Tin Wan

The inspiration of the design is a "Green Carpet" which features the extension of the landscape onto the building roof. As a "GIFT" to Hong Kong, the design aspires to create a pleasant green public space for gathering, leisure and even a venue for picnic. At the same time, the building is highly functional as an office for small-to-medium enterprises (SME) and research & development (R&D). It is also a gateway building to the rest of the Science Park Phase 3 development. This design is the fusion of landscape and architecture.

The north-south orientation of the Green Boulevard allows prevailing wind to penetrate through and flow around the building. The extensive green roof acts as an eco-friendly insulation material. Rainwater collected on the sloped roof is processed by a recycling system and is stored in tanks for use in various parts of the building including toilet flushing, irrigation, water feature, etc. It reduces solar heat gain effectively and in turn reduces energy consumption on air conditioning. Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels are installed on the south-facing roof and are connected to the electricity grid.

3rd Prize: The Staggered Green 
Project team: Chan Kin Kwok & Ng Man Hoi Simon

Parallel Blocks arrangement creates highly flexible and efficient office space with a central open skygarden for communal activities. The Central garden also forms a path for the prevailing winds, and gives natural ventilation and lighting to the office space. SME and R&D offices are arranged along an inclined street in a loop, which intersects itself in an ‘8’ shape, forming a central atrium and a series of common space at the corners of each 'tube' with sea views. Since only small offices are required, they are arranged in stepping terraces along the inclined street, similar to the streetscape and neighbourhood environment of Hong Kong central district.

A Zig-Zag Outdoor Garden Path connects the ground floor Wetland, the podium bridge, and up to the Middle zone where the path turns into an indoor folded street. Conference and Exhibition space are sandwiched by the ramps, providing an alternative roof access to the facilities from the ramps at various levels. The combined building has multiple skygardens hanging in different levels, providing a variety of unique outdoor spaces for interaction.

Best Youth Entry (under 25): The Green Estuary 
Project team: Oscar Tong Hei, Kelvin Chu, Buran Chen & Ma Vickie Ka Ki

Our aim is to create a building that blends into the nature, resembling the original estuary landscape. At the same time, maintaining the calm and clean architectural language of Science Park. The brief asks for 3 types of spaces, the highly efficient general offices at the top, the SME/ R&D small offices at the middle with creative networking environment, and exhibition and commercial uses at the lower levels.

The building form is inspired by the natural formation of the estuary and rock erosion by water. The square office block is being divided by a creek, forming a 'Gateway' towards the main public square in Phase 3. The splitting of the block creates a fantastic communal garden space between the offices/labs with vegetation and water in the middle. The creek goes round the site in a loop, defining the garden area in our site. People approaching our building by bus will walk through the beautiful landscape, across the bridge over the water.