The Shaw Auditorium opened on Nov. 17 on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) campus.
The Henning Larsen-designed building combines a highly flexible, acoustically sophisticated auditorium with bright social spaces. Together, these spaces provide a “living room” for the campus community and a new world-class venue for Hong Kong.
The Shaw Auditorium stands on the hillside in the south of HKUST’s Clear Water Bay campus. It acts as the gateway to the campus between the academic faculties and neighboring community. Visitors are shaded and sheltered from the rain by the building’s deep cantilevers, which draw on the vernacular colonnades and canopies of Hong Kong’s traditional architecture.
Surrounded by orthogonal buildings, the auditorium’s curved form stands out and is meant to signal the artistic and cultural activities within. The circular building appears as three concentric white rings, interspersed with glazing to reveal panoramic views of Sai Kung Bay. The building is welcoming on all sides with no formal front or back.
A series of comfortable lobbies, a cafe, classrooms, and circulation spaces are conceived as an informal social focus for the campus where students can meet, study, and relax. As such, the auditorium is more than a destination for major events and becomes part of the everyday life of the campus community.
The venue can be adapted to accommodate a wide range of events from a live orchestra to amplified concerts, talks, gala dinners, and exhibitions. A proscenium can be lowered to frame the stage for theater and ballet while the rectilinear plan brings the audience close to the performers and creates an intimate atmosphere. The raked seating can be configured to fit 840 or 1,300 seats, or stored to provide an open surface for conferences, open days, and exhibitions. The curved wall can also function as a 360-degree projection screen.
The project was designed with a BEAM Platinum environmental strategy that includes a district cooling system, photovoltaic panels over more than half the roof, a highly efficient façade, lighting control, and brushless DC motors fan coil units. A smart ventilation Aircuity System monitors the indoor air quality to ensure sufficient fresh air, using precision sensors to save energy. Acoustic separation, anti-vibration and noise control measures are in place for all building services equipment. The outer wall of the auditorium is clad in bamboo from a renewable supply, mineral paint has been specified for the white façade, and Norwegian wool is used in the acoustic panels.
Henning Larsen designed the project in collaboration with Wong Tung and Partners, WSP Hong Kong, Theatreplan, Marshall Day Acoustics, URBIS, Inhabit, CTA, and RLB.
Related Stories
| Oct 18, 2013
Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition
Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.
| Oct 18, 2013
Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal
When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.
| Oct 7, 2013
10 award-winning metal building projects
The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.
| Oct 4, 2013
Nifty video shows planned development of La Sagrada Familia basilica
After 144 years, construction on Gaudi's iconic Barcelona edifice is picking up speed, with a projected end date of 2026.
| Sep 24, 2013
8 grand green roofs (and walls)
A dramatic interior green wall at Drexel University and a massive, 4.4-acre vegetated roof at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City are among the projects honored in the 2013 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence.
| Sep 23, 2013
Six-acre Essex Crossing development set to transform vacant New York property
A six-acre parcel on the Lower East Side of New York City, vacant since tenements were torn down in 1967, will be the site of the new Essex Crossing mixed-use development. The product of a compromise between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and various interested community groups, the complex will include ~1,000 apartments.
| Sep 19, 2013
What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings
Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.
| Sep 19, 2013
6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies
Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.
| Sep 19, 2013
Roof renovation tips: Making the choice between overlayment and tear-off
When embarking upon a roofing renovation project, one of the first decisions for the Building Team is whether to tear off and replace the existing roof or to overlay the new roof right on top of the old one. Roofing experts offer guidance on making this assessment.
| Sep 17, 2013
First look: BIG+MVVA proposal for Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park
BIG’s proposal for Brooklyn Bridge Park, a project that has revitalized the New York City waterfront, consists of a 6,000 ft2 (560 m2) triangular cross-laminated timber structure, serving both as pavilion and platform. Sloping upwards 17.5 feet (5.3 m) in height from the foot of the large gathering lawn, the platform provides magnificent views of the surrounding harbor, the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, and the Brooklyn Bridge.