Project: Hong Kong
(page
48 issue 11) The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has appointed Zaha Hadid as Chief Architect
for its new “Innovation Tower” which will be the first permanent
architectural design in Hong Kong for this world-renowned architect.
Polytechnic University
Zaha Hadid
“Innovation Tower” will represent the further development of Hong
Kong as a design hub in Asia. It will house the School of Design (SD) and encourage
the pursuit for excellence in the fields of Environmental Design, Industrial
and Product Design, Visual Communication as well as Digital Design.
There will be an advanced Car Design Studio; Fashion Accessories Materials Labs;
a Sound Studio for Multi-media and Entertainment Design; a Museum to showcase
local and international design classics. Construction work will begin in 2009
and the whole project is expected to be completed by 2011.
Upon completion, the Tower will provide some 12,000 sqm of net floor area and
be able to accommodate more than 1,500 students. Hadid comments: “The
design unashamedly aims to stimulate a vision of possibilities for the future
whilst reflecting the history of the institution.”
Zaha Hadid is one of the most influential figures in contemporary architecture.
She was the first female recipient of the coveted Pritzker Architecture prize
that, in architectural terms, is equivalent to the Nobel Prize. Hadid’s
architectural designs can be found in major cities all around the world and
include: the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany, the National Museum of
21st Century Arts in Rome and the Olympics Aquatics Centre to be built in London.
For further information, visit: www.zahahadid.com