Central Police Station Hong Kong Development, CPS Project Design, Architects

CPS Project, Hong Kong : Central Police Station Redevelopment

Central Police Station Hong Kong design by Herzog & de Meuron + others

7 Dec 2011

CPS Project Hong Kong

Design: Herzog & de Meuron ; Purcell Miller Tritton ; Rocco Design Architects Limited

Central Police Station Hong Kong – Project

The CPS project is supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and is intended to transform a collection of historically significant buildings into a centre of heritage, arts and leisure facilities for the local community and visitors.

photo © Andrew McRae

Conserving the historic buildings at CPS is a priority so that the site could eventually be made publicly accessible and in the process, becomes an attractive gathering place for the community. Establishing a centre for heritage, arts and leisure at this prime Central location complements the overall development of arts and culture in the city and adds an attraction with distinct Hong Kong character.

Photos of Hong Kong Central Police Station Hong Kong site, taken 7 Dec 2011:

photos © Andrew McRae

To fully understand the views of the community on the CPS, the Club conducted an extensive six-month public consultation from October 2007 to April 2008. In 2008, the HKSAR Executive Council confirmed the Club’s not-for-profit concept to revitalise the CPS. The Government and the Club then entered into a partnership to take forward the conservation and revitalisation of the CPS project.

Central Police Station Hong Kong – Project Team

Herzog & de Meuron

Internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading architectural firms, Herzog & de Meuron is responsible for designing significant landmarks such as the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. In 2001, the practice was awarded the Pritzker Prize, considered to be architecture’s highest honour.

One of the firm’s best known works is the Tate Modern in London, UK’s national museum of modern and contemporary art. Herzog & de Meuron famously converted the former Bankside Power Station into a museum, one of the world’s most celebrated examples of adaptive re-use. The practice’s vision for the Tate Modern’s latest extension – The Tate Modern Project – will help redefine the museum for the 21st century.

Herzog & de Meuron

Purcell Miller Tritton

Established in the UK in 1947, and now with a permanent office in Hong Kong, Purcell Miller Tritton is an award-winning architectural practice of about 180 people. Part of the CPS design team since 2008, the firm conducted in-depth research into the rich history at the compound to prepare a Conservation Management Plan, which was the key to unlocking the heritage value of the site.

Guided by the principles of sustainable development, beneficial use and reversibility, the firm uses a sensitive and creative approach to heritage conservation.

PMT has worked on many historic sites during the last 60+ years, including some 13 World Heritage Sites, ranging from the Palace of Westminster in London, Blaenavon Industrial Park in Wales, to various sites in Antarctica.

Rocco Design Architects Limited

Led by the award-winning architect Rocco Yim, ROCCO is the executive architect of the CPS project, with invaluable expertise drawing from its experience on a multitude of international cultural and public building works.

As one of Hong Kong’s most prolific architectural firms, ROCCO has won international recognition and acclaims, with projects such as the Bamboo Pavilion in Berlin, the Guangdong Museum in Guangzhou and the recently completed HKSAR Government Headquarters at Tamar. The firm brings local and international insights to CPS via a disciplined approach which includes persistent attention to the quality of the total environment, acute awareness to local culture and sensitivity to contexts.

David ELLIOTT

David Elliott is the arts advisor to the CPS Project. Elliott is a curator, writer, and specialist on Russian and Asian, particularly Chinese and Japanese, modern and contemporary art. For over 30 years he was directing museums in five cities in Europe, Asia and the Pacific and has played a leading role in the conversion of existing buildings for cultural use as well as in the construction of new ones. He has been a Visiting Professor in Art History and Curatorship at the Humboldt University, Berlin, the Tokyo University of the Arts, and the Hong Kong Chinese University. He was President of the International Committee of ICOM for Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art from 1998 to 2004 and is now the Honorary President.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust was established in 1993 on the back of a long tradition of supporting charitable causes led by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and traceable to as early as 1915.

Working with government and non-profit agencies, the Trust aims to improve the quality of life of the Hong Kong people and provide immediate relief to those most in need. In addition to this ongoing mission, the Trust proactively identifies and supports or creates programmes that anticipate and meet community and social needs.

The Jockey Club has a long track record of supporting heritage conservation and art and culture development in Hong Kong. These included the preservation of Hung Shing Temple (a UNESCO award-winning project), funding the establishment of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the first integrated arts education institution in Hong Kong, and providing grants to the Hong Kong Arts Festival for over 30 years.