Hong Kong Buildings: British Council Building Contributed by Ruth Gee,...

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:11:56 GMT

Hong Kong Buildings: British Council Building

Contributed by Ruth Gee, Director British Council Hong Kong, June 2003 - date

Designed by the British architect Sir Terry Farrell, who is known for designing the MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross in London, the British Council building resolves itself through a complex interplay of opposites: open and closed spaces, solid and void, flat and sloping, public and private, urban bustle and natural tranquillity. This is not an architecture that attempts to over-simplify life by paring down reality. Like the city itself, it is a building constantly in flux, providing a different face for each situation. (Above please find the photo of our building).

British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We build mutually beneficial relationships and understanding between people in Hong Kong and the UK by meeting local needs through UK’s strength in innovation. The areas we focus on in Hong Kong are education, creativity and civil society.

British Council opened our first office in Hong Kong in 1948 and started teaching English in 1976. In 1996 we moved to our current home in Admiralty. We provide services for people aged from 2½ to 75, offer quality English language courses at all levels, professional examinations services, guidance for studying in the UK, innovative arts and science events, as well as information on all aspects of the UK.

Photo by hkfringe club

Hong Kong Places: new design for the Southorn Playground Contributed by Ruth...

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:11:29 GMT

Hong Kong Places: new design for the Southorn Playground

Contributed by Ruth Gee, Director British Council Hong Kong, June 2003 - date

A historic landmark in Hong Kong, the Southorn Playground, was given a brand new look by two UK experts, designer Thomas Heatherwick and urban regeneration specialist Fred Mason, through British Council Hong Kong’s Soul of the City project in 2005.

Soul of the City is a project of British Council that aims to explore how greater space for development can be created for members of the public through the medium of art. Soul of the City Phase I in 2004 was Hong Kong’s first international conference bringing experts from all over the world together to examine various aspects of public arts and urban regeneration. Soul of the City Phase II is a follow-up initiative on urban regeneration, engaging the community in the development of space in Hong Kong.

Originally a piece of reclaimed land donated to poor children as a place for sunshine to brighten up in the gloom in the 1920s, Southorn Playground was turned into a navy base in the 1930s and a night market in 1950s. In 1980s the Hong Kong government designed the playground into a sports ground for basketball and football games. The playground has remained the same for the past 20 years and as public space is getting more and more scarce in Hong Kong, local districts in Hong Kong are looking for ways to regenerate public areas to serve as many purposes and people as possible.

The “new” Southron Playground design was disclosed to the public on 30 July 2005 at the Southron Playground. The design is an artistic, imaginative and functional creation that serves the wishes of Wan Chai residents of having “more green, more play space, and more seating”, as well as creating 7 distinct new spaces for the playground including floating basketball courts and a lowered football pitch. (See image above for the new design).

More details about each component of Soul of the City II and survey results are available online. Please visit: www.britishcouncil.org.hk/southornplayground　

Our hope is to see this playground built to the Heatherwick Studio design.

Photo by hkfringe club

Photos tagged 'british council'

Hong Kong Buildings: British Council Building Contributed by Ruth Gee,...

Hong Kong Places: new design for the Southorn Playground Contributed by Ruth...