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As a result, the absence of overpowering vertical buildings is a relief to the existing urban fabric. The unanimous choice of linear architecture in the proposals, in fact, goes so far as to suggest that at least two of the schemes could be labeled as "anti-architecture."

These two schemes are generous in creating a landmark of lush greenery and parkland. The winning scheme by Foster and Partners has hardly any exterior architecture visible under its massive canopy; most of the building mass is embedded underground.

Another distinctive difference between the proposals is the overall mass of the designs. They treat the complex as one fully integrated volume, or as a series of segmented buildings, or even as a mixture of the two. There seems to be no advantages in any of these choices, given the vastness of the site.

In response to the waterfront, four schemes soften their building edges by stepping down the building height towards the water. This layering effect accentuates the linear quality and allows the scale of the complex to come in line with the water horizon. The "Jewel Scheme" by a team led by Minoru Takeyama, Tokyo, is the only proposal that maintains a sharp vertical building edge along the waterfront.

A promenade can be an obvious solution for the transition between solid and fluid. Most schemes prefer a straight or perfectly smooth geometrically curved shoreline, expressing — through built structure — human intervention in nature. This uniformly sharp edge seems to terminate the complex by divorcing it from the water.

The interaction with water in the "West End Scheme" by a team of Alan MacDonland and Urbis-LPT Architects is more spontaneous. The design actually breaks down the physical barrier between the two by introducing activities along the seafront and developing a more lively edge.

Traffic on the Peninsula

Vehicular circulation on the linear site is directional for most schemes, with the main artery running east from Canton Road to the western tip of the site. This central circulation spine is clearly visible in four schemes and becomes an anchor to bind the rest of the elements together.

In addition, most schemes have several parallel routes complementing the main circulation path on different levels. This circulation axis is intersected by several cross streets from north to south linking the new developments and the Mass Transit Railway station to the north and the waterfront to the south.

Again, the West End Scheme tries a different approach, with localized circulation serving different zones. This proposal is based on an "urban village" with clusters of smaller-scale designs. This scheme is segmented while the others are integrated along a central spine.

Pollution is another key issue, and in some schemes, vehicles are either prohibited or restricted to underground areas. Most of the proposals call for mechanical circulation systems — such as people movers, cable liner rail systems, electric trolleys, and walking monorails — in addition to pedestrian thoroughfares.

Commercial Components

Although the brief of the competition did not require anything beyond a master plan of a cultural hub, additional elements were included in all the proposals. These may have been motivated by the size of the site, or by an awareness of the need to make the development economically viable, or simply by a desire to enrich the scheme.

Commercial elements such as retail, offices, hotels, housing, and food and beverage outlets are introduced as design components. There is no question that some of these are necessary as support functions that contribute to the liveliness and viability of the project. However, there is a danger of a large-scale, mixed-use development shifting focus from the intended cultural facilities.

In the different schemes, various functions are distributed along the central spine. Because this spine is the main circulation route, retail shops along it seem appropriate.

Most of the schemes continue the commercial link from the existing Canton Road by placing office towers and hotels near the entrance of the site and — with residential blocks — on the northern side. Entertainment, food, and beverage outlets are located on the southern side of the site. The main cultural buildings such as opera house, theaters, auditoriums, and museums are all positioned at the prominent western end.

Public Open Space

Open space, intended for festive and entertainment activities, is another important feature. Overall, the use of open space is generous by Hong Kong standards.

In the most generous case, Foster's scheme gives 70 percent of the site to open parkland. Others use a mix of landscape, piazza, water-plaza, and courtyard to establish a spatial hierarchy off the circulation spines. The schemes with descending flat roofs turn roofs into parkland as pedestrian thoroughfares.

All the schemes make references to their surroundings across the harbor by alignments of axis and framed vistas. Perhaps Foster's scheme presents the least obvious notion. The scheme of Hong Kong architect Philip Liao reinforces certain vistas by aligning the water-plaza on axis.

The Jewel Scheme cuts an opening in a building to frame the view. The West End Scheme has multiple reference points to the harbor. And the "New Leaf Scheme" by a team led by Rocco Sen Kee Yim has a sequence of specific vistas framed by buildings on both sides of the streets.

The Competition's Legacy

This open competition has marked a new era for the design of civic buildings in Hong Kong. The architecture profession has finally turned over a new leaf, a move welcomed by most. The open competition approach for significant buildings is now common worldwide.

The benefits are many. They not only draw the most distinguished architects to compete but also encourage a new generation of architects including relatively unknown recent graduates to make a name for themselves.

This was the case when Francois Mitterrand set out to revitalize Paris as one of the key cultural centers of the world in the early 1980s. By contrast, selective, invited competitions are generally confined to an elite club of a few signature architects.

Open competitions should also be transparent so that others, professional or not, can appreciate and judge all the entries. The many other submissions besides the top five probably have merits of interest. After all, the new civic center belongs to the people of Hong Kong and its visitors.

Cultural centers today consist of theaters, auditoriums, opera houses, and museums. Their significant buildings not only contribute as urban arts-and-culture destinations for art lovers, they are perceived as landmarks for tourists, urban regenerators, and economic stimulants.

Successful examples are the Centre Pompidou in Paris by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and, more recently, the Guggenheim in Bilbao by Frank Gehry. In the latter, Gehry's work pushed a degenerated industrial city into the limelight almost overnight. The city became a magnet drawing other renowned architects adding their signatures. It is nearly unimaginable that architecture can be so powerful.

The main purpose of the international jury that the Hong Kong Government assembled was to choose a scheme for the West Kowloon Reclamation project of such interest and distinction that it would establish Hong Kong as a world-class city of arts and culture.

Yet, having one more signature building as an icon cannot change Hong Kong. Only if the people's attitude and enthusiasm change, coupled with the necessary supporting facilities and education, can Hong Kong truly become a place for arts and cultural events.

A challenge of this kind involves a much wider perspective, and one single architecture project alone cannot be expected to perform miracles. Nonetheless, this competition is something for celebration because the right step has been taken toward the challenge.

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Bernard Chan is editor of p&d Editorial and Pace Publishing and former tutor at SPACE of the University of Hong Kong. His publications include X Volumes of Architecture.

This article was first published in HKIA Journal, the official journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.

Philip Liao's second-prize scheme creates a microcosm of Hong Kong, with commercial and residential highrises situated to the north and cultural facilities to the west. Image: Philip Y. K. Liao Scenes from Philip Liao's scheme. Image: Philip Y. K. Liao In the Jewel Scheme, by a team led by Minoru Takeyama, sculptural eggs appear poetically and randomly. Image: Minoru Takeyama The Jewel Scheme is the only one that builds right up to the waterfront. Image: Minoru Takeyama The West End Scheme is a multilayered development with evenly distributed functions. Cultural activities occupy only 27 percent of the site. Image: Alan MacDonland and Urbis-LPT Architects Scenes from the West End Scheme. Image: Alan MacDonland and Urbis-LPT Architects In the New Leaf Scheme, a sweeping bend holds the recessed harbor while the central spine divides the site into two banks. Image: Rocco Sen Kee Yim Horizontality contrasts with Hong Kong's verticality in the New Leaf Scheme. Image: Rocco Sen Kee Yim   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.