Senses Hill + Valley: Renovation of Kwun Tong Sensory Garden

Project Information

• Site Sensory Garden, Kwun Tong Promenade, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
• Area 1720m²
• Type Public space, Grey space, Garden
• Competition organizer HKIA, Kowloon East Office
• Submitted date March, 2022
• Prize Merit Prize

This submitted project features a concept of “Sensory Hills and Valleys: Urbanized Natural Experience Scheme”. Three distinctive coherent spaces, “Hill of Cloud”, “Hill of Wind “ and “ Valley of Mist”, are created. This conceptual design proposal provides 7/24 multi-functional spaces for the Kwun Tong community.

Site

The given site is a 1720m² linear garden space underneath the Kwun Tong Bypass at Kwun Tong District, Hong Kong. It is adjacent to the Kwun Tong Promenade, a linear seaside park built in 2015. Historically, Kwun Tong District was a major industrial area in Hong Kong, featuring productions of textile and plastic products in squatter factories. Now, even though the squatters have been replaced by mid-rise buildings, the dominant land-use surrounding the given site is still industrial, with the closest residential areas over 500m apart. Two metro stations are over 500m away from the site.

The given site, with a width of ~10m and a length of >150m, is a grey space underneath the Kwun Tong Bypass, an elevated road with large traffic volume. Though next to the Kwun Tong Promenade, the given site itself is far from the sea and does not share the sea view. The site is surrounded by dense roadside greenery, and divided into three segments by pedestrian path.

Beneath the Kwun Tong Bypass, a series of spaces have been created for public usage, and the given site is given the topic of “Sensory Garden”, which currently features some interactive furniture. Though with the topic of “Sensory”, the space is unsuccessful, which leads to this design competition held jointly by the Kowloon East Office and HKIA. A survey conducted by the competition organizer also reveals that this unattractive site does not well echo the topic of “Sensory” very well. Therefore, the major design task is to create attractive spaces and renovate the space by concretizing the concept of “Sensory”.

Concept

Different from the original concept of triggering the five senses of human by using plants, this conceptual design proposal extracts three elements in nature which are closely related to human perception, namely “cloud”, “wind” and “mist”, and exhibits nature experience in a highly urbanized costal context through the means of abstraction and space creation. The human sensory is integrated with different landscape elements to promote interactions and engagement, so as to renovate the Kwun Tong Sensory Garden.

This plan enhances the spatial experience of visitors by creating a “hill and valley” system by creating micro-topographic changes in multiple forms. The “Hill of Cloud” section features a combination of characteristic conical terrain and floating “cloud” elements suspending in the air. The floating device is planned to use lightweight recycled plastic to reflect the land use history of light industrial in the past. The conical terrain is planted with shade-tolerant herbal plants, which allow people to touch and feel plants. The “Valley of Mist” section combines water features and suspension bridges with mist spray devices to create a touch and smell experience immersed in the mist. The water feature exhibit multiple usages in different scenarios. Multiple spaces for resting are created on the terrace. With a clear function of the skate park, the section “Hill of Wind” transforms the senses of the wind into visible elements through the air-moving device suspending in the air, forming a dynamic space for the young generation.

Plan

▼ Garden of Cloud features suspended cloud-like installations and hilly micro-topography, creating the image of clouds swaying in the wind floating above the mountain top. Aromatic plants are grown by people who work and live nearby.

▼ Gate of Mist features an interactive water curtain gate that can be controlled via a phone app. A glass bridge spans the “valley” and leads to the seaside. The poles standing in the “valley” spray mist to stimulate the human senses.

▼ Wind Energetic features a skateboard with a hanging structure made from recycled plastic, echoing the history of plastic industry in the Kwun Tong District. The hanging structure can swing with the wind.

▼ Community Plaza is a sunken area for community activities. It borrows the spaces beneath the Kwun Tong Bypass to form a public square for different kinds of activity.

Spaces are provided for local community activities 7/24. Functions such as Kwun Tong Community Cinema, Kwun Tong Market, Kwun Tong Performers’ Stage, etc., are planned under different scenarios and time of the day, which helps to bring together local communities. Potential products may enhance the interaction and engagement.

Plants play an important role in stimulating the human senses. Plants that stimulate the sense of touch and smell are planted throughout the site. It is worth emphasizing that since the site is located under Kwun Tong Bypass, the plant species selected are mostly shade-tolerant ones.

Submitted Panel

Prize