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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town Swimming Pool by FarrellsDecember 15th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: v2com Hong Kong’s futuristic new Kennedy Town Swimming Pool, designed by Farrells, has won a 2017 American Architecture Prize in the Recreational Architecture category. Completed earlier this year, the pool complex includes a 50-metre outdoor pool, an outdoor leisure pool, indoor and outdoor massage baths, a 50-metre indoor pool, and an indoor training pool. It also incorporates an outdoor garden sheltered beneath the tip of the building’s characteristic roof.  Kennedy Town Swimming Pool viewed from Hong Kong’s famed Victoria Harbour, Image Courtesy © Farrells
 A bird’s eye view of the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool in Hong Kong, completed in 2017, Image Courtesy © Farrells Built on a derelict lot beside Victoria Harbour, the pool has helped rejuvenate a forgotten corner of otherwise vibrant Kennedy Town, a historic district not far from Hong Kong’s city centre. “We have been working in Kennedy Town now for nearly a decade,” commented Stefan Krummeck, a director at Farrells. “This is one of the most exciting and characterful districts in Hong Kong, and we sought to contribute to that by designing this pool as a new community hub with a dynamic architectural form.”  The building’s form was inspired by the concept of a shell, as well as the unique triangular site, Image Courtesy © Farrells  The public sitting out area, sheltered beneath the tip of the swimming pool’s characteristic zinc roof, Image Courtesy © Farrells The building owes its distinctive shape to the unique triangular site. Inspired by a shell, the building addresses the main road and tram entrance to Kennedy Town, serving as an icon for the community. The form of the sweeping zinc roof responds to the building’s context: the orientation of the outdoor pool maximises views of Victoria Harbour and the outlying islands, while shielding swimmers from the noise and pollution of the main bus and tram routes to the east. Natural zinc’s self-healing properties and uniform ultimate patina was appropriate for a building constructed in two phases with a six-year gap in between.  An overview of the indoor pool hall, showing the 50-metre main pool, secondary training pool, and massage baths, Image Courtesy © Farrells  The indoor pool hall, lit naturally by the lightweight membrane roof and window wall, Image Courtesy © Farrells Key criteria for the selection of materials for the facade and roof were light weight, ability to span the pool hall, transparency, and performance against solar gain. Laminated glass with a high performance PVB layer was chosen for window walls while insulated PTFE membrane was used for the roof skylight, flooding the indoor pool hall with pleasant, diffuse natural light. Operable windows allow for natural ventilation of indoor spaces, reducing reliance on air conditioning.  The 50-metre outdoor pool, offering views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong’s outlying islands, Image Courtesy © Farrells  Kennedy Town Swimming Pool Phase I – prior to the construction of Phase II. Belcher Bay Park is in the foreground, Image Courtesy © Farrells About Farrells Founded in 1965, Farrells are architects and urban designers who excel in urban placemaking and strive for sustainability. Their portfolio of built work includes contextual urban design schemes, supertall skyscrapers, residential and commercial projects, cultural and leisure centres, government headquarters, and some of the largest transport interchanges in the world.  The Kennedy Town Swimming Pool project was carried out in phases over several years. The former swimming pool was demolished to make way for a new underground railway station, Image Courtesy © Farrells  Roof plan, pool deck plan, and ground floor plan, Image Courtesy © Farrells  Elevation and section drawings, Image Courtesy © Farrells  Design sketch, Image Courtesy © Farrells  Design concept sketches, Image Courtesy © Farrells
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Tags: Hong Kong Categories: Building, Hall, Offices, Swimming Pool, Terrace |
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