296 Tai Kwun Wins QBA Award for “Renovation/Revitalization”

HONG KONG, 10 June 2021 – Tai Kwun, Centre for Heritage & Arts has won the QBA 2020 Grand Award for a Hong Kong building under the “Renovation/Revitalization” category. The Quality Building Award focuses on commending projects that have “transformed the community through building with heart and care.” Tai Kwun placed alongside five other winners from different categories, which were announced at the QBA ceremony held in June.

Formerly a police station, Tai Kwun underwent twelve years of heritage conservation and revitalization to create a new cultural centre which opened in 2018. From an urban perspective, the compound is a rare courtyard in the middle of one of the densest cities in the world. Herzog & de Meuron’s goal was to preserve its openness and distinct character, and to reactivate it for public use as a new type of urban “found space”. Much of the original architecture, with its traces from the buildings’ past use, has been preserved. Both new buildings are clad with a façade unit system of 100% recycled cast aluminium – setting the new buildings apart as insertions amongst the collection of historical masonry blocks and, simultaneously, addressing issues such as sun shading and rain protection in Hong Kong’s subtropical climate.

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