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1.Jailhouse
rocks with new designs
1. Jailhouse rocks with new designs
MAY CHAN, SCMP 4 August
2005
Two
prize-winning designs which envisage the historic Central Police
Station compound as a focal point for the arts and tourists have
gone on show.
The designs,
one of which suggests turning the Victoria Prison building into
a Japanese-style capsule hotel to cater for stranded late-night
revellers, were chosen from 34 entries in a competition organised
by the Central and Western District Council, Conservancy Association,
and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.
The compound
comprises the Central Police Station, the Central Magistracy and
Victoria Prison.
The winners
were selected from two categories: students and professional architects.
The student winners, Vicky Lam Ki-wai and Yeung Wing-kai, both recent
architect graduates from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said
the hotel could serve as an overnight haven for people who stayed
out late in Central or Lan Kwai Fong.
"The events
in Lan Kwai Fong always open late, and people tend to drink until
midnight," Ms Lam said. "There is a huge potential market.
The capsule hotel is going to be cheap, convenient, and provide
a unique cultural experience."
Under the plan,
the police station would be converted into a Cantonese Opera House,
including an opera school, auditorium, library, shops and cafes,
while the magistracy would become a tourist information centre.
"In that
way, the architectural structures of the compound are preserved,"
Ms Lam said. "On the other hand, the compound, providing a
one-stop service to tourists, will become self-sustainable."
The winner of
the professional category, Thomas Schmidt, managing director of
Sepia Design Consultant Ltd, envisages the site as a pedestrianised
area linking the entertainment hubs of Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo. The
site would be a showcase of history, culture, art and style, with
a garden-like atmosphere and lush surroundings, he said.
"Complemented
by additional landscaping, water features, pedestrian paths, street
furniture, and lighting, it will give Hong Kong people what they
need - parks and outdoor dining," Mr Schmidt said.
Tenants within
the complex would be carefully chosen to provide a balance between
food, beverage and retail outlets, accommodation, and community
services that specifically promote homegrown products and talents.
Mr Schmidt's
design also includes a "Heritage Path" throughout the
complex to promote community and tourist awareness of the site's
history and colonial background.
Bernard Lim
Wan-fung, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said
the winning proposals, together with the results of a public poll
conducted this year on cultural preservation, would be published
and distributed to the public.
He said the
institute's representatives would meet Secretary for Economic Development
and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan next week about the proposals.
The government
last year proposed opening the site to tender for tourism-related
restoration and development, but public pressure to conserve the
entire compound forced it to postpone the tender and consult the
public to gauge different views.
A Tourism Commission
spokeswoman said the government was still analysing views from the
public and no decision had yet been reached over the site.
The winning
designs will be on display at the Landmark building in Central until
August 14. | 
