Asia Society Hong Kong Center Named Top Architectural Work
HONG KONG, February 10, 2016 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that the Asia Society Hong Kong Center is a recipient of the 2016 Institute Honor Awards, the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture, and urban design.
The Center—designed by New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects with partners Associate Architect: AGC Design Ltd. and Associated Architects Ltd.—was one of 18 recipients selected from roughly 500 submissions, and the only honoree located outside the U.S.
Asia Society Hong Kong Center opened its new home in February 2012 at a former explosives magazine site in the Admiralty district. Steeped in history, cultural significance and natural beauty, the site was originally built by the British Army in the mid-19th century for explosives and ammunition production and storage. Through careful conservation, restoration and adaptive re-use, this heritage site was transformed into a cultural, artistic and intellectual hub in Hong Kong.
“The heritage site has been carefully conserved, restored, and transformed into a cultural, artistic, and intellectual hub for visitors from near and afar,” said S. Alice Mong, Executive Director of Asia Society Hong Kong Center. “This prestigious award recognizes our achievements and encourages us to strengthen our mission by making the center accessible to all through engaging exhibitions and thoughtful programs.”
“Combining historical buildings from the British colonial period with an angular footbridge and a glass-wrapped modern pavilion, the Asia Society complex in Hong Kong spans eras, cultures and styles,” the AIA noted. “Capitalizing on the setting, rather than building over it is such a smart and radical move in Hong Kong,” a juror added.
Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien recently spoke about the project at an Asia Society event in New York. “In many ways Hong Kong is such a civilized city," Tsien said. "So the idea that there was something so wild and untamed in the center of a city that seems so controlled was really, really, exciting." Williams added that their plan was to build “a horizontal garden” in what is otherwise mostly a “vertical city.”