Competition
Design and art proposals invited for Hong Kong House at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2017

Organizer
Art Promotion Office

Location
Echigo-Tsumari, Japan

Competition Date
2017

Set amidst a cluster of Japanese cottages, the HK House stands similar in size and scale, but distinctive in form and character – one that is borne from the traditional architecture of the HK ‘Tong Lau’. Our hope is to display the essence of HK’s most unique spatial qualities to Japan in a contemporary and artistic way.

The overall composition of HK House portrays the arrangement of an archetypal ‘bottom-shop top living’ ‘Tong Lau’. The functional pitched roof is strategically hidden from the frontage so that a clean balcony structure with large overhang profile can immediately be recognized.

The main entrance and dining area are inspired by folding tables and chairs of the ‘dai pai dong’, not only to represent HK’s local dining, but also to provide a flexible gathering space for interaction and the surrounding community. The internal atrium depicts the ‘slot of sky’ seen between skyscrapers, and at the same time functionally separates the private circulation from the public.

Through assembling the quality of these renowned imageries and distilling them to a spatial simplicity that is often found in Japanese architecture; we hope to imply a fusion of the two cultures, and also, create a new energizing yet sophisticated way to display HK’s vibrancy.

HK has always been labelled a concrete jungle. Here, in playful subversion, HK House stands as a concrete jewel in a jungle, inviting everyone to discover all its art, culture and excitement inside.