May 2019
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CENTER IN HONG KONG - FUTURARC GREEN LEADERSHIP AWARD 2019

URBIS is proud to announce that the University of Chicago Center in Hong Kong (The HKJC University of Chicago Academic Complex) has been awarded the FuturArc Green Leadership Award of Merit 2019. The site—formerly known as Victoria Road Detention Centre (VRDC)—is a historic site that has undergone various phases, and inhabited by different users over the years. It is located at the foot of Mount Davis at the western edge of Hong Kong Island, overlooking the Lamma Channel with 180-degree unobstructed sea views and lush vegetation. The building design seeks to preserve as many trees on-site as possible and deliberately proposed a low structure (three storeys high with one storey below grade) such that all levels can be surrounded by trees at eye level, strengthening the sense of connection with nature. The building design respects both the existing landscape and the existing heritage structures by weaving around and floating above the ground level.