COMPETITION

THE PEAK LEISURE CLUB
Hong Kong, 1982

Description of The Project

"The winning architect describes her design as Suprematist Geology. First, she proposes that the ground be leveled to the site's lowest point and then rebuilt from the excavated rock as a polished granite mountain. The building itself is composed of four beams , stacked atop one another in a splayed arrangement. Partially embeded, the two lowest layers contain 15 studio units and 20 apartments, forming a podium for the club facilities. A void approximately 42 feet high separates these strata from the two uppermost levels, which house the larger apartments and the developer's penthouse. Suspended within the void like hovering spaceships are the club elements,  which extend back into the man-made mountain. The series of floating ramps and platforms that articulate this space are supported by two vertical members, an elevator, and a steel truss containing services. Two elevators linking the clubs to the upper residential zone provide additional support and a vertical counterpoint to the horizontal composition. Stress cables stabilize any other movement among the floating horizontal members of the void. The swimming pool rests in the roof of the second residential layer. Lateral changing rooms are hollow square beams in section, and act to stiffen the structure. The enire complex is constructed of steel and reinforced concrete. All volumes suspended in the club area are framed in lightweight alloys with aluminum or stone cladding. Although the jurors faulted the winning design for a ''certain lack of resolution in its details,'' they praised its concentration ''on the exploration'' of ideas... The sculptural nature of this solution,'' they averred ''promises to extend the imagination and symbolize the essence of a new building type in a unique location.''
*excerpt from Architectural Record, Sept 1983

Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Hong Kong Panorama from the original brief Courtesy of Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) and Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA)

Brief

’THE PEAK’ ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION HONG KONG 1982 
Competition details extract

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED

2.0 Mandatory drawings

2.1 Site Plan
Scale 1:500 showing general disposition, access and relationship of the proposed buildings with immediate surroundings. An indication of general landscaping concepts should be included.

2.2 General Plans
Scale 1:200 showing general functioning of building at all levels giving an indication of furniture layouts and also of materials/finishes and planting. 

2.3 Explanatory Sections & Sectional Elevations 
Scale 1:200 showing general treatment with indications of materials/finishes and planting.

2.4 Elevational Detail & Elements which the competitor wishes to explain:
Scales of 1:50 or 1:25 as suitable showing part layouts. Conceptual structural principles and explanatory diagrams showing the integration of services should be included.

2.5 Axonometric or Perspective explanations to indicate the three-dimensional organisation of space and volume, both interior and exterior. Photographic prints of simple plane or block models may be incorporated in the layout of the sheet.

3.0 Presentation
Generally presentation should be in black and white using a combination of line and mechanical tint chosen for ease of reproduction. A simplicity of presentation possessing graphic legibility is requested.

4.0 Report
An extended A3 report (297 x 525.5 mm) should accompany the submission of drawings. The report may be using any technique of presentation including colour and should contain an explanation of the concept of the proposal and such technical details as the competitor wishes to outline in connexion with development volume, structure or services. It should contain illustrative perspectives of the proposed interiors, their colour schemes and schedules giving sufficient outline information for an independent quantity surveyor to prepare an outline budget costing. (Including a schedule of areas of each plan level and a computation of building volumes). The report should be kept as brief as possible and should not exceed 12 pages.

IV THE BRIEF

A. Architecture

1.0 Aesthetics

1.1 The sponsors of the Peak competition whish to create an architectural landmark which will provide an example of quality and dignity. 

1.2 The compatibility of the solution with the very strong natural environment, the sensitivity of the relationship of the skyline and the proposed building form, materials and colours both from Mid- Levels and the centre of the City is important.

4.0 Fengshui
The ‘Fengshui’ of the site is excellent as is evident from the Geomancer’s report attached as Appendix 3. Note should be taken of the importance of ‘’water’’. 

B. The sites

1.0 Particulars of the sites
The sites are divided both physically and in terms of availability. 

C. Design brief
1.0 The Promoters seek to build an extremely luxurious residential club which will take advantage of the dramatic and extremely visible site on Victoria Peak.

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brief download

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Juror

Zaha Hadid & Patrik Schumacher

Zaha Hadid, founder of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize (considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture) in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary exploration and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design.

Working with senior office partner Patrik Schumacher, Hadid's interest lies in the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape, and geology as her practice integrates natural topography and human-made systems, leading to experimentation with cutting-edge technologies. Such a process often results in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

The MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, Italy and the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games are excellent demonstrations of Hadid’s quest for complex, fluid space. Previous seminal buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, USA and the Guangzhou Opera House in China have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our vision of the future with new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms.