[HONG KONG] Alternative Car Park Tower

Introduction
The parking structure has captured the imagination of novelists, photographers and film-makers, an yet it remains peripheral to our culture - best understood as forbidding fictional setting or often as an imposing silent building that we encounter along the way.

Car parks are not very appreciate by users (too cold, too dark, too insecure etc.) and this competition hopes to offer a new take on this type of building that is far too quiet.

Hong Kong situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. And with a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes of which less than 25% of the territory's landmass is developed and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves.

Aim of this competition
The aim of this International competition is to design an iconic and Alternative Car Park Tower in the heart of Hong Kong. The new tower will include several possibilities for events such as concerts, art exhibitions, fashion shows, ceremonies dinners, cinematic projections, etc.

The architecture of this new building should reflect contemporary design tendencies, standing out for its uniqueness as a car park design, while meshing in with the surrounding Hong Kong urban tissue. This competition hopes to achieve the following:

-Encourage and reward design excellence on a large scale, which integrates function, structure, details, etc.
-Research, respond to and highlight the unique aspects of designing an original car park incorporating an alternative program.
-To generate the discussion of ideas regarding car park security and all the phobias associated with it such as fear of dark, dirty, cold, etc.
-Encourage the employment of sustainable design in all aspects of the proposal.

Schedule
Late Competition Registration - 13th August to 15th October 2011
Dead line for Questions - 15th September 2011
Closing Date for Submissions - 15th October 2011
Jury Evaluation - 19th October - 27th October 2011
Announcement of Winners and posted on www.ac-ca.org - 30th October 2011

Winning participants will receive prizes totaling US$ 5,400 with the distribution as follows:
1st prize: US$ 3,000
2nd prize: US$ 1,600
3rd prize: US$ 800

There will also be 7 honorable mentions

Information : www.ac-ca.org
hongkong@ac-ca.org