The New Central Market - Horizontal Skyscraper
Public Passages
Hong Kong Central Market and Escalator | Spring 2016
Cornell University Undergraduate Thesis
Professor Val Warke and Tao Dufour
Cornell University Undergraduate Thesis
Professor Val Warke and Tao Dufour
The Mid-Level Escalator in Hong Kong is a function of the economic efficiency of the hyper-dense, hyper-capitalist city-state. This instrument of commute inadvertently becomes a public “third space” in the city, allowing residents to experience the city’s rhythms as they move between home and work. This thesis documents the spatial qualities of this cinematic passageway and amplifies/appropriates these conditions in the abandoned Central Market. The design reflects the urban dynamics of Hong Kong by materializing flows and territories of exchange.
Completed in 1994, the escalator is part of a labyrinth network of elevated walkways that connect the luxury residences of the Mid-Levels to the supertall offices of the Central harbourfront. At the foothills, the escalator system cuts through the former Central Market, once the center of wholesale commerce in the colonial era. The market is an odd relic in an ever-changing city - as the economy transitioned from wholesale to financial services, the building gradually lost relevance, living on as a utilitarian passageway along the escalator network.
The proposal updates the market into a contemporary community space, transforming the building into a network of “hyper” public circulation. Using the existing escalator system as an operative reference, the project aggregates the disparate conditions along the pedestrian way into new spatial juxtapositions. The new building, comprised of a series of connected program boxes and passageways, amplifies public space and provide leisure routes through the market building. Through this subversive intervention, pedestrians can take a respite from the commercial grind of Hong Kong and reestablish a sense of community.
Completed in 1994, the escalator is part of a labyrinth network of elevated walkways that connect the luxury residences of the Mid-Levels to the supertall offices of the Central harbourfront. At the foothills, the escalator system cuts through the former Central Market, once the center of wholesale commerce in the colonial era. The market is an odd relic in an ever-changing city - as the economy transitioned from wholesale to financial services, the building gradually lost relevance, living on as a utilitarian passageway along the escalator network.
The proposal updates the market into a contemporary community space, transforming the building into a network of “hyper” public circulation. Using the existing escalator system as an operative reference, the project aggregates the disparate conditions along the pedestrian way into new spatial juxtapositions. The new building, comprised of a series of connected program boxes and passageways, amplifies public space and provide leisure routes through the market building. Through this subversive intervention, pedestrians can take a respite from the commercial grind of Hong Kong and reestablish a sense of community.
Part 1: Mapping the Central Escalator
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Timelapse Collages of the Existing Central Escalator Network
Mapping Conditions: Central Escalator weaving through the urban fabric
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Axonometric Drawings
1) Sprawl - 2) Overlook - 3) Wrap-Around - 4) Grounded
1) Sprawl - 2) Overlook - 3) Wrap-Around - 4) Grounded
Part 2: Documenting the Central Market
Google Maps: Charting the Larger Central Walkway Network - The Central Market as the Heart of the Network
Images of Central Market in 1950s - 1960s, Famed Photographer Fan Ho (Link)
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Timeline: Central Market versus the Evolution of Hong Kong (Tracing the Rise and Fall)
Part 3: Design and Development
Existing Lower Skywalk Model
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Existing Central Market Context Model
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Existing Central Esclator Model
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Model Iterations: From Volumes to Levels to Paths
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Sectional Sketches: The Building as a Bridge
Part 4: The New Central Market
Multiplying Passages: Diversifying Routes and Experiences
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Section Drawing: Building as Aggregate Connectors
Third Floor (Walkway Level) Plan: Re-occupying the Building
Final 1:16 Scale Model
Part 5: Collages and Renderings
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The Rooftop Park in the Ferrissian Void
The Great Hall - New Central Market
