Spectacular views of Hong Kong would be visible to more in this HK$959 million green building
The wedge-shaped building features a rooftop piazza and uses eco-friendly solutions to save energy
Everyone wants to have an open view of the city. This is especially true in Hong Kong as “Hong Kong [is] one of the most densely populated cities in the world”, says Carlo Ratti, founder of international design firm Carlo Ratti Associati.
Due to the overcrowded environment, Ratti points out that even if this small city has “one of the world’s most stunning skyline … not all of us can enjoy it, [especially people on the lower floors]”.
While it seems to be a far away dream for those living in Hong Kong to capture a piece of the city’s landscape, Carlo Ratti Associati has come up with a hypothetical building design that would allow more people to have access to our beautiful scenery.
In the shape of a standing wedge, the building would not only offer a solution to the lack of great views, it would also fit in perfectly with the government’s green efforts, and might ultimately change the relationship between the building and its surroundings.
The Wedge, as the designer has named it, is like an inverted triangle to “minimise the section of the building which receives less natural light”, Ratti explains. By having most units on the upper levels, more people would be able to enjoy the spectacular view of the city.
Innovation does not end here. The design also brings all lower-floor activities to the rooftop. “Public spaces such as restaurants, shops and halls are too often confined to the ground level. In this project, we envision the top of the building to be an entirely public facility. We are reclaiming the panorama of the city as an urban common”, Ratti says.
More than just an ordinary garden in the air offering a 360-degree view of the city, the “sky piazza”, paved with grass, focuses on the interaction between the users and the surrounding environment. This is done via hi-tech screens using augmented reality and virtual reality technology.
These interactive surfaces provide visitors with the opportunity to discover Hong Kong in a virtual world through “these augmented, informative and interactive [screens] which demonstrate the potential of a new form of visual language and its capacity to reveal interesting social, economic and mobility patterns”, Ratti says.