LOCAL
Central Harbourfront’s $12 billion transformation Cheyelene Fontanilla on what’s in store for the new location
After almost a year of bidding and negotiations, the premier Central harbourfront location was awarded to Henderson Land Development, who paid a whopping $50.8 billion. The Hong Kong government first announced an open tender for the Central Harbourfront Site 3, which spans from Jardine House to the Central Ferry Piers, on December 18 last year. The site in question is around 47,967 square metres and currently includes the city’s General Post Office and the pedestrian bridge connecting IFC to the piers. As part of the deal, the Development Bureau required the area to become a new people-centric landmark for the city with an emphasis on sustainable and urban design considerations as well as integration with the surroundings. The proposal by Henderson Land states that
it plans to replace the General Post Office and temporary access to the Star Ferry pier with four low rise office buildings. Other construction plans include an architecturally iconic building, a public viewing deck extending from IFC mall with two multipurpose buildings attached and renovations to the outlying ferry piers.
Development Bureau has stated that the project must be completed by 2032. Shall we start the clock now?
The $12 billion project aims to enhance the connectivity between the hinterland and harbourfront in Central and create a vast amount of green and public spaces. A green roof-level platform will connect the iconic building to the two multipurpose buildings. Coined the “urban forest”, there will be jogging routes and an outdoor green space for public use. The site is just one of eight sites, spanning from Central to Wan Chai planned to be rejuvenated in the coming years. While a project of this magnitude will take much time and resources, the
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21/12/2021 4:50 PM
