Herzog & de Meuron win competition to design M+
Hong Kong, 28 June 2013 – The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has appointed Herzog & de Meuron and TFP Farrells to design the new building for M+. Based on the recommendation of an international selection jury, Herzog & de Meuron were selected ahead of five other short-listed architecture firms. M+ is the new museum for visual culture in Hong Kong, focusing on 20th and 21st century art, design, architecture and moving image. The building will be situated on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour at the edge of a planned 14-hectare park. It will be one of the first projects to be completed in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and a key venue in creating interdisciplinary exchange between the visual arts and the performing arts in Asia.

Jacques Herzog:
“For art to enter into the life of a city like Hong Kong it has to come from below, from its own foundations. Our M+ Project does exactly that, by literally emerging from the city’s underground.”

Pierre de Meuron:
“We have made the underground tunnel of the Airport Express the raison d’être of a rough, large-scale exhibition universe that literally anchors the entire building in the ground. The tunnel has been uncovered, creating a radical space for art and design, installation and performance; it is a space of unprecedented potential and a challenge to artist and curator alike.”

Ascan Mergenthaler:
“The outcome is a building that is not simply anchored in its surroundings; it is also formed by them. It is a clearly defined, almost archaic structure that echoes the iconic tradition of Kowloon’s skyline and transforms it into a beacon of art and artists. M+ is a public space, a forum, a built natural environment for people and art.”

Personally I think the M+ is going to stand out like a white elephant.. Have the Architects not visited Hong Kong before they designed the building? We already have enough underground facilities here.. but hey who am I  to criticise?