Innovation Tower

Innovation Tower

A white multi-level building, rising to a point at its right side, seen from a plaza. In the foreground are some short trees with pink flowers. On either side are portions of darker brick buildings. To the right in the background is another mostly brick rectilinear building

East elevation, 2013
Alternative names Jockey Club Innovation Tower
General information
Status Complete
Location Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Town or city Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Coordinates 22°18′20″N 114°10′45″E / 22.30556°N 114.17917°E / 22.30556; 114.17917Coordinates: 22°18′20″N 114°10′45″E / 22.30556°N 114.17917°E / 22.30556; 114.17917
Construction started 2009
Completed 2013
Dimensions
Other dimensions Height 76 metres (249 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor area 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft)[1]
Design and construction
Architect Zaha Hadid

Jockey Club Innovation Tower is a building of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It was designed by Pritzker-prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. This building is her first permanent work in Hong Kong. Originally expected to be completed by the end of 2011,[2] it was not finished until mid-2013.[3]

Aesthetics

Zaha Hadid's firm won the competition to design the building in 2007. The competition brief called for "a beacon structure symbolising and driving the development of Hong Kong as a design hub in Asia." She and her team took as their guiding principle the "collateral flexibility" between the departments to be housed in the building. Their solution was to "dissolve ... the classic typography of tower and podium to create a seamlessly fluid new structure ... creat[ing] a building which is inherently organised and understood to visitors from the point of entry."[1]

Athletic fields surrounding the building were razed to create a new surrounding landscape. The main pedestrian entrance was placed at podium level, as with the other buildings on campus. A long pathway from nearby Suen Chi Sun Memorial Square to an open foyer creates a focal point, where the building space opens to shops, a cafeteria, museum, and exhibition area.[1]

Location and size

The tower is located at the northwestern tip of the university campus. Upon completion, the tower provided some 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of net operational floor area and is able to accommodate about 1,800 staff and students.[2]

Academic uses

The tower houses the School of Design (SD) and supports the development of its specialisations, namely Environmental Design, Industrial and Product Design, Visual Communication, Advertising as well as Digital Design.[2]

Funding

In July 2011, the Hong Kong Jockey Club approved funding of HK$249 million for the Innovation Tower.[4] The tower was therefore renamed Jockey Club Innovation Tower.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jockey Club Innovation Tower, Hong Kong". Zaha Hadid Architects. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 PolyU appoints Ms Zaha Hadid as Architect of "Innovation Tower". Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. 12 December 2007.
  3. ↑ Jockey Club Innovation Tower at Hong Kong Polytechnic University: Topping-out. Zaha Hadid Architects. 4 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Jockey Club Charities Trust helps needy with record HK$1.62 billion donations Hong Kong Jockey Club. Press Release. 15 July 2011.
  5. ↑ HKJC supports PolyU's design and social innovation with HK$249M Polytechnic University Hong Kong. Communications and Public Affairs Office. 12 August 2011.

External links

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