The West Kowloon cultural district project is not only a battleground for property developers, it is also a competition between the world's top architects and engineers.
Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K. Wah International Holdings, has hired Lord Rogers as one of the project designers. Lord Rogers designed Britain's Millennium Dome.
The consortium, one of five bidders for the 40-hectare cultural district and the first to release details of its design, has also hired Anthony Hunt, structural designer of Britain's Eden Project, to design the giant canopy proposed by Lord Foster.
Architects Herzog & de Meuron, which designed London's Tate Modern gallery and is engaged on the Beijing Olympic Stadium, has been hired to design the performance venue and the museum of modern art.
The project will be based on Lord Foster's winning design, which features a giant canopy covering half the area. The winner will be announced next year.
The four other bidders were: World City Cultural Park (Henderson Land Development); Swire Properties; Dynamic Star International (a joint venture between Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties); and individual bidder Lam Sze-tat. It is understood that Dynamic Star International has hired Norman Foster Partnership as its consultant.
