M+博物館是西九文化區的一大文化中心,為20世紀和21世紀的藝術、設計、建筑和動態影像的展示場所。僅僅20年前,西九文化區所處之地還是海港的一部分。一塊接一塊地填海造地,將天然港灣改造成為陸地。現在,這片人工填海的土地是西九文化區新建筑的建設場地。
有意思的是,恰好是另一項曾被視為場地規劃的阻礙工程,即機場快線的地下隧道,定義了這片區域的特殊性,成為M+博物館項目設計的起點。M+博物館由外觀粗礪且規模龐大的展覽空間組成,似乎是將整個建筑錨定在地面上。它在橫跨隧道上方,為藝術和設計、裝置和表演打造了一個壯美的空間。由L形的“黑盒”以及可進行空間重構的展示空間(Studio Space)組成,與裝卸及倉儲區域直接相連,形成了一處稱為“潛空間”的下沉展覽地形。這不僅滿足了21世紀的藝術和設計需求,也為獨特的藝術體驗搭建了舞臺,與西九文化區的獨特性相輔相成。橫跨在這種“工業”景觀上方的水平建筑體則容納了更多傳統的展覧空間。
與城市的結構相似,所有展廳都基于正交網絡布置。中庭可直接通往各個展覽區,包括臨展區和明確定義的Anchor Room。高大的“焦點空間(Focus Gallery)”從橫向的展廳建筑體塊上矗立起來,在天花板正下方形成了兩個側向采光帶,直連上方的豎向員工和教育建筑。從中庭的4個角落可以進入各個系列的展廳。每個系列都由一個特定的空間呈現:寬闊狹長的自然光展廳、直通屋頂露臺的庭院、朝向西九藝術公園的大玻璃窗展廳和面向維多利亞港的會堂。這些特定的空間區分構建了展覽空間順序,又可以通過其他空間組合或分割成更小的單元。展廳本身可以從上方或側面的開口處自然采光,朝藝術廣場、公園和對岸港島的天際線都有各種各樣的開口。
在“潛空間”和水平抬升的展覽建筑之間的連接處,設有一個寬敞的公共入口平臺。該區域沒有建造遮擋交通、光線和視野的建筑實體,而是形成了一個明亮、親切的平臺,開放、通透,又能遮擋陽光,公眾可以從四面八方進入。平臺的每個區域都有特定的功能。博物館商店位于藝術廣場旁邊的角落里。大型臨時展覽空間面向公園,可從主平臺直接進入。俯瞰海濱長廊和維多利亞港,一邊是會堂,另一邊是全玻璃外墻的“學習中心”,還有一個公共庭院通向屋頂花園。
M+博物館豎向大樓外部通透的體量以水平展示空間的建筑體塊為中心垂直向上延伸。兩個體塊構成一個整體,融合為一個倒T形的建筑形體。細長的豎向建筑符合總體規劃中規定的高度,建筑內設有研究設施、藝術家駐地工作室和策展中心,自然過濾的陽光和廣闊的城市景觀給研究、學習和工作帶來全新體驗。頂層設有視野開闊的會員休息室和公共餐廳。
由此建造的建筑并不是簡單地矗立在其周邊環境中,也由周邊環境所塑造。其精心設計、具有都市感和復古感的造型,強調了九龍天際線的標志性特征。另一方面,這一傳統性又被其從遠處可見的藝術氣息所顛覆,使M+博物館成為不斷更新、不斷迭代的場所,超脫了預先定義的形式。它既是一大公共空間,也是人與藝術交流、相遇和互動的平臺。
Designed by a global team of the world-renowned architecture firm Herzog amp; de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup, the M+ building is set to become a new addition to the global arts and cultural landscape and a new international architectural icon. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, it provides a permanent space for M+, the first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.
The commanding architectural form consists of monumental horizontal and vertical volumes—an expansive podium and a strikingly slender tower—reflecting the architects’ reading of the unique typologies of Hong Kong’s architectural landscape and their sensitivity to local urban conditions. Beneath the building site lie the MTR Airport Express and Tung Chung Line. While the pre-existing site condition presents a challenge to design and construction, it has also become a point of departure for the M+ building. The excavation around the railway tunnels produces a ‘found space’ that provides an anchor for the building for hosting dynamic and rotating installations.
The 65,000 square-metre M+ building houses 17,000 square metres of exhibition space across thirty- three galleries. It also includes three cinemas, a Mediatheque, a Learning Hub, a Research Centre, museum shops, restaurants, a tea and coffee bar, a Members Lounge, and office spaces, with a Roof Garden that commands spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. Most galleries are arranged on a large podium level on the second floor offering visitors a fluid, interconnected experience of the exhibitions.
The tower defines a visual dialogue with the urban landscape of Hong Kong. The podium and tower are united as concrete structures clad in ceramic tiles that reflect the changing conditions of light and weather while standing out from nearby glass and steel skyscrapers. The tower facade also features an LED system for the display of content related to the museum, making a distinctive contribution to the city’s vibrant night-time environment.
Museum staff have moved into and started to activate the M+ building and the Conservation and Storage Facility (CSF). Preparations including environmental stabilisation, space fit-outs, the move of permanent collections, and the installation of collection works and objects have commenced with a view to opening the M+ to the public at the end of 2021.