The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is an important cultural infrastructure project of Hong Kong. Situated at a 40-hectare prime waterfront site at the southern tip of the West Kowloon Reclamation Area and overlooking the magnificent Victoria Harbour, WKCD is being developed into a world-class integrated arts and cultural destination. The Government is collaborating closely with West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to bring the WKCD project to fruition. The role of Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) is to oversee the overall planning and implementation of the integrated basement and public infrastructure works of WKCD.
In July 2008, Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a one-off upfront endowment of $21.6 billion for the WKCDA to implement the WKCD development covering the arts and cultural facilities, retail/dining/entertainment facilities, public open space and certain transport facilities. Other communal and government facilities and related engineering works, such as roads, drainage, fire station, public pier and other ancillary facilities to support the whole WKCD including hotel, office and residential (HOR) developments, would be undertaken by the Government with funding approval for such works to be sought separately.
After conducting a three-stage public engagement exercise between 2009 and 2011, WKCDA selected the "City Park" conceptual plan prepared by Foster + Partners (F+P) as the preferred option for developing into a Development Plan for WKCD. According to F+P's concept, WKCD will feature, among others, a waterfront park and an integrated basement where all vehicular traffic, parking and loading/unloading facilities will be put underground in order to free up space for arts and cultural use and create a pedestrian-friendly environment at the avenue level. Upon arriving at the integrated basement by vehicles, visitors can get off at pick-up/drop-off areas alongside the road and then take the escalators at the communal lobbies to the avenue level. For further information, please visit the websites of Home Affairs Bureau and WKCDA.
https://www.hab.gov.hk/en/policy_responsibilities/Culture/wkcd.htm
The integrated basement is an integral component of F+P's concept and a core design feature to meet the minimum requirement of providing 23 hectares of public open space in WKCD. Inside the integrated basement are the arts and cultural facilities, public infrastructure works including an underground road of approximately 1.4km long, as well as other supporting facilities for the topside HOR development. The Government would fully fund the capital costs of the main integrated basement as general enabling works in support of the WKCD developments.
Apart from the integrated basement, public infrastructure works also play an important role to support the development of WKCD. CEDD is undertaking the implementation of the public infrastructure works, including an at-grade road, a flyover, two lay-bys, four footbridges/subways and berthing/ landing facilities to enhance the connectivity of WKCD, as well as other infrastructure such as drainage, sewerage and watermains.