We are thrilled to share the exciting news of the winners of the international architecture competition, “Green Tower Hong Kong – designing against the horizon.”
Following an extensive and meticulous evaluation process, our esteemed jury panel, consisting of renowned architects and field experts like Ryohei Koike from BIG, Cosimo Scotucci from MVRDV, Marc Juarez, Vice Chair of the Association for Vertical Farming, and Norman Ung from DEFT, have now finalized their decisions. Among the impressive submissions, three outstanding entries have been selected as the top winners, and in addition, two special awards have been bestowed upon the “best urban design” and the “most resilient design.”
During the evaluation process, each proposal was carefully evaluated, considering essential criteria such as innovation, relevance, coherence, sustainability, and efficiency, while also placing significant emphasis on the aesthetic value of the designs. We were overwhelmed by the abundance of exceptional ideas that reimagined modern skyscrapers as multifunctional, self-sufficient, and resilient structures, catering to accessibility and diversity.
Below can be found the best entries in 2023 edition.
Strasbourg, France
Description: To reverse the current situation in a context of food and environmental crisis as well as space saturation, we decided to work on the Southorn Playground site. It is located in the Wan Chai district, between the economic zone on the north and the residential zone on the south. These two scales are opposed and unconnected.
To deal with all these issues, our project is based on a network of public spaces and sports facilities to energize streets and neighborhoods. Sport brings people together and attracts crowds. It is a powerful driving force and has the potential to become a significant tool in the production of new energy. Our project combines housing, public space, agriculture and sports facilities. These different levels include the undergrounds with the metro and the private residential units.
Guangzhou, China
Description: This design aims to solve the problem of food waste and aging housing in Hong Kong. The site is located near the Sham Shui Po MTR Station in Sham Shui Po District, an area in the old city of Hong Kong, where there are a lot of restaurants and the average building age is over 50 years. The design utilizes the open space in the old buildings to create an urban agricultural complex integrating residence, public activities, urban agriculture and food recycling. Urban agriculture can provide food for residents, and the food recycling system can provide fertilizer for urban agriculture and energy for towers by reusing surplus food as resources to reduce the pressure on landfills and reduce greenhouse gases caused by landfill food decay, Conserve energy and water to contribute to food security. At the same time, the urban agriculture and recycling system provides jobs for residents, and residents can participate in the work of urban agriculture and recycling as a labor force.
At the same time, the tower adopts a prefabricated modular system, so it can be adapted between different old buildings and can be constructed quickly. It can be promoted as an infrastructure in Hong Kong to increase the resilience of Hong Kong’s food, and reduce food waste.
Kampala, Uganda
Description: Hong Kong has embarked on the revitalization of its rivers and drainage channels, also called nullahs. Working on projects like Kai Tak Nullah and Tsui Ping River will contribute to a sustainable city that lives in harmony with water. This proposal looks at contributing to this cause by introducing a network of vertical filtration towers along the channels that add to cleansing the waters. The vertical wetland towers also provide a home to different farmers who can grow their foods within the towers and sell them to the city’s people.
The tower whose structure is mainly from bamboo nest a cascading system of filtration basins with plants into which wastewater is pumped for natural purification. Different tower sections can filter the river’s and tower’s grey water before it is drained off further along the channels. The towers will also bridge the city communities with a communal platform at the base where various activities like weekly food markets can be hosted.
Cairo, Egypt
Description: Aeon is a multi-functional tower in the heart of Hong Kong. The main driver of the design is the context. The tower focuses on multi-level connectivity, integrating seamlessly with the bustling city center, with visual and natural connections to its surroundings.
Two skyscrapers rise through one of the city center’s most dynamic squares, linked by a bridge that houses a vertical farm. The towers’ forms are inspired by the Cantonese symbol 永 (“everlasting”), adapting the calligraphy to create an intriguing twisting design. The meaning behind the symbol also birthed the tower’s name, “Aeon”. Below the double towers lies a palatial green plaza that extends over Hennessy Road.
The structure, an exoskeleton, decreases the core’s size and gives space for a spacious atrium in each of the towers, allowing fluid visual connectivity between spaces. The atrium form is inspired by the shape of Hong Kong’s central streets. The diagrid steel structure was chosen as an exoskeleton because it resists high loads and strong winds, which is ideal given the tower’s exceptional height. The tower also utilizes a double façade system, which aids its thermal control and saves energy.
New York, US
Bangkok, Thailand
Hong Kong
Toronto, Canada
Guangdong, China
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to each contestant who dedicated their time, creativity, and expertise to this competition. Your commitment to seeking innovative solutions for high-rise buildings is truly commendable. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of architectural possibilities, aiming for a more sustainable and harmonious urban future.
Your participation has enriched this competition, and we sincerely thank you for your contributions.