Joint bid with Hassell for Central street facelift set for full work-up
London practice We Made That has been shortlisted in an ideas competition to reimagine a street in Hong Kong’s main business district as a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
The small practice is the only purely British architect on the shortlist, though Dutch-headquartered Maccreanor Lavington spin-off MLA+ is also a finalist.
We Made That’s proposal, drawn up in conjunction with Australian practice Hassell, is one of five entries selected for the transformation of De Voeux Road on Hong Kong Island, which hosts some of the territory’s most famous buildings – including Norman Foster’s HSBC Building.
The “Walk DVR” competition is designed to explore ways that a one-mile stretch of the street can be made more pedestrian-friendly by closing off a lane of traffic to free up space, provide public seating, remove barriers and introduce more vegetation.
Other shortlisted teams include SO-IL and Arup; MLA+, Mobility in Chain, and Dmau; MVRDV; and Pang Architect, Burges & Garrido Arquietctos, Hiraiwa Yoshiyuki, MVA, and Vision Planning.
We Made That partner Holly Lewis said the shortlisting was a big step for a studio that had been quite London-focused since its foundation in 2006.
“Across the world, cities are investing in dramatic transformations of their public realm through the removal of traffic and redesign of streets. They are placing the pedestrian and the environment first,” she said.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with Hassell on how Hong Kong can transform Des Voeux Road Central,” she said.
An overall winner for the competition is due to be announced in October.
No comments yet