M+ Pavilion

The West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong is planned to be one of the world's largest cultural centres, due for completion in 2017. DKA's proposal for a new art pavilion was commended in an open international design competition.

Called FORT ART, the proposal is a playful complement to the adjacent M+ Museum. As M+ is extrovert, FORT ART offers a rich interior world of perfectly proportioned white cube gallery spaces and gardens for the display of two and three dimensional art, video and performance.

The fort-like form of the proposal is a response to the building’s relative isolation and water’s edge location. The perimeter wall is heavy in-situ concrete, planted with succulents. A distinctive triangular entrance, that can be seen across the bay, delivers visitors into the cooler garden courtyards and finally into the refined white interiors of the galleries. A full spectrum of raw nature to abstract idealised space is offered to artists and curators to work with.