西九文化區的爭論Controversies over West Kowloon Cultural district (WKCD)

(English version please scroll down)

西九文化區設計競賽結果已經塵埃落定，輿論也漸漸淡忘。但此時此筆者仍想發表他的一些意見。

三個方案中，似乎是兩間外國建築師樓之爭，而本土建築師樓卻明顯地陪跑。後來勝出的卻給建築師業界批評。在競賽結果公佈當天，筆者從身邊的朋友略有則聞另外一間建築師樓很不滿意競賽結果，他們覺得那一間建築師樓設計出來的方案很保守，而且缺乏新意。

然而，城中公園這個概念不失為一個出眾的亮點，皆因香港市區隨了維多利亞公園外沒有一整大片的綠色區域，而其他國際級大都會如倫敦及紐約她們亦有區域廣闊的公園。可能政府覺得照辦煮碗可以藉以提高國際地位。

但筆者愈想便愈不對勁，個人認為香港比較缺乏的是整體文化內涵及培養文化的空間，難道創造一大片綠地就能提高文化素質？另外，文化區的總體規劃也過於簡潔及空泛，只強調規劃的彈性，缺乏主題。對比另外一間的建築師樓，深入了解香港本土文化後而定立設計，倒有心思。兩者比較之下，相形見拙。

顯然地，就競賽結果反應了香港政府似乎不想藉著利用西九文化區這幅地去發展本土文化及提高香港的文化素質，只是引進M+博物館等迪士尼式的發展策略，放棄讓真正的本土文化帶進正式場合。既然如些，那就讓它變成自由行的景點，讓他們在門前拍照吧!

討論了十多年，推倒重來，結果卻還是一樣。


Although the result of WKCD design competition has been announced for a long period of time already, the author still wants to express some opinions on this topic.

2 out of 3 entries are from 2 foreign architect firms, while the local one is trivially futile. The author heard about some criticism about the winning entry from some friends who worked in the losing architect firm. They commented that the entry design is too conservative and lack of creativity.

Nevertheless, the "city park" design can be a sparkling idea because other than Victoria park, Hong Kong lacks of mega-scaled green park. With reference to the number of green zone in London and New York, having one along the new reclaimed district in Hong Kong could potentially enhance the international image.

But the author is suspicious about the move in planning a mega-scaled green park along the shoreline of the new reclaimed land, which cannot motivate the local cultural development and educations. Furthermore, the emphasis of flexibility of the master plan design is in the way too simple, boring and lack of central idea. Comparing with the other firm which design had profound research of local culture, the current winning one is a kind of an unfinished work.

Apparently, the decision of the selection reflects how many ambitions and motivations the government have in order to give chances for the development of local culture, which is none. M+ museum is only a way of Disneyland mode development, which is a spot for taking photos by some mainlander tourists.

After 10 years of discussions, and turned the engine again, the result is still the same.

香港的建築特色? What is "Hong Kong architectural style"?

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筆者在荷蘭讀了半年建築碩士，不斷給那些什麼現代主義 後現代主義的建築特色， James Stirling、Daniel Liebeskind、Rem Koolhaas 等等的現代後現代建築師加上他們錯綜複雜的師徒關係及建築派別搞得頭昏腦脹。苦讀過後，筆者心存了一些疑問，究竟香港的建築特色是什麼? 與之前所學的建築理論有沒有關係?

客觀來說，香港畢竟是一個比較特別的地方，所謂中西合壁，集合了中西文化的特點，建築裏亦可從中找到其特點。但西也不太西，中也不太中，她卻自成了一種風格。筆者對這種風格是否有冠名不甚了解，但香港的建築風格似乎是現代主義的延續。

筆者認為香港最有特色的並不是高聳入雲的摩天大廈，而是複雜而精密的行人天橋系統。尤其在商業區裡的天橋系統，它連接了主要的交通樞紐，如鐵路站、巴士總站、渡輪碼頭等，務求行人可以方便快捷地到達目的地。

這些概念似乎承繼著Le Corbuiser人車分隔以及章顯汽車的使用的理念。這些理念緣自他"Ville Contemporaine"的方案，規劃透明晶亮的摩天大廈及多層分隔的大型交通樞紐。雖然這些概念當然被批評得很，但數十年後卻於遠東現實大部份的理念，而香港亦有很多城市規劃的理念與他相似。

與很多與現代主義建築相關的評論一樣，行人分隔與地下分離分割了人在地上的生活而忽略了點與點之間的生活瑣事。然而，以香港這種步伐急速的城市，我們需要這種增加辦事效率的系統。

那就根據上述的描述，香港建築是否就是機器式建築 ?


The author feels so desperately confusing when he studied the architectural theories about the modernism, post-modernism, their architects such has James Stirling, Daniel Liebeskind, Rem Koolhaas, etc and their complicated teacher-student relationship and architectural styles during the study of master of architecture in Netherlands in these half a year. After that, he questioned: How about Hong Kong architectural style? Can it be applied to the architectural theories the author has learnt about?

Indeed, Hong Kong is a kind of fusion place of combining the Chinese and Western culture which architectural style has same kind of characteristic. The style is not said to be Chinese, nor Western, but it has its own style. The author doesn't know if there is a specific name for this style, but seemingly it is the extension from the modernism.

In his opinion the most splendid things about Hong Kong is not the highrises, but the sophisticated pedestrian flyover system, which, especially in business district, connects the main transport hubs, such as metro stations, bus terminals and ferry terminals, etc. With this kind of flyover system pedestrian can go to their own destination more conveniently.

This kind of idea is probably the extension of the idea from Le Corbusier, a famous modernist architect, which suggested the segregated pedestrian circulation and the glorification of the automobiles. These concept are from his scheme of "Ville Contemporaine", which planned for groups of skyscrapers with curtain walls and huge transportation hub with different levels of transportation means. Although the concept was fiercely criticized, after several decades in the far east the concept is finally somehow can be realized. The city of Hong Kong shared the similar idea of urban planning with this architect master.

However, same as many criticism about the modernism style, the segregation of circulation to the ground make it not human as the emphasis on the point to point connection neglected the lifestyle in between. But in the situation of Hong Kong, because the lifestyle and the living pace is so fast, we need to have this kind of system, which increases the efficiency.

Yet, does it mean that the architectural style in Hong Kong is more like a machine?

中環灣仔繞道通風大樓設計

今天百無聊賴往中環國際金融中心閒逛，經過商場平台看見中環灣仔繞道通風大樓設計公眾咨詢的介紹展覽，於事便走進看看。一如所料，即使是星期天，購物逛街者人來人往，都沒有一個會停住下來走到展覽附近看看究竟是什麼介紹，只有筆者和零落的幾個中年人士。進入展區後工作人士已經熱情地走到筆者身旁給了一張設計選項意見表，接著便逐一細看每一個設計。

筆者有一個發現，眾觀每一個大樓的設計方案，都有一個分選方案好像似曾相識，看看你們認為的是否跟筆者是一樣的：

東面排風口 外觀設計3

中通風大樓 外觀設計2

西面通風大樓 外觀設計1

或許會展新翼的外觀太深入民心，當局可能認為若設計互相呼應或許能夠讓大眾普遍接受。但是，筆者認為這樣的設計在建築言語上太過陳腔濫調，不應在外型上刻意模仿其他建築個體。現時主流可持續建築及著重綠化環保的元素，希望當局能夠考慮多利用環保材料，這也許是鞏固香港在國際上文化薈萃的形象。

當筆者完成意見表後，工作人士連忙說聲多謝再見，然後離開。回望展區，人仍是零星數落。