Hong Kong is putting up for sale an iconic commercial site in the city’s busiest district, following recent announcements by the city government. In a departure from conventional practice, New Central Harbourfront Site 3 will be tendered via a two-envelope process, which aims to give due importance to both vibrant urban design as well as commercial success.
The Hong Kong SAR is largely expected to tender Site 3 to prospective developers in Q3 2020.
Return to Future ThinkingRead the latest article on Mingtiandi featuring Benoy’s aspirations for Hong Kong’s Site 3.
The 4.76 hectare (512,362 square foot) waterfront plot, named New Central Harbourfront Site 3, is surrounded by some of the city’s most famous landmarks, including the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and the IFC complex to its west. Spanning from the Central Ferry Piers in the north to Jardine House in the south, the plot could be developed into about 150,000 square metres (1.6 million square feet) of gross floor area.
Beginning 2017, Benoy had an early and leading role in championing the development of Site 3 as an unparalleled icon for the city and people of Hong Kong, strongly advocating that the waterfront site should aspire to become a world-class, human-centric destination delivering economic and social success.
Benoy have been working on Site 3 for years and are therefore excellently placed to support the tender and design process. Our knowledge and experience gained over the years has provided us with an understanding of the Governments draft brief for the site and the constraints and opportunities of the site.
Trevor Vivian, Global Director at Benoy, shares his thoughts on what the iconic Site 3 Waterfront can and should be, saying:“This site is arguably the most significant waterfront site globally at this time in any major city. This is Hong Kong’s greatest opportunity to create a globally recognizable icon to complete the waterfront along Central.”
Darren Cartlidge, Regional Operations Director at Benoy, in recent months has engaged with key Hong Kong stakeholders including various Chambers of Commerce, the Urban Land Institute, and government representatives, advocating to elevate the design weighting for Site 3 to ensure design integrity and the development’s overall success.
Darren explains,“The design for Site 3 is integral to the Tender — and rightly so — to make every effort to realize the best design for the most prominent location along Hong Kong’s waterfront. Benoy supported and promoted the idea of a two-envelope tender system to Government, in recognition of the quality of the design required for this development to be successful. The Government has since introduced the two envelope tender process for Site 3 which is currently weighted 50:50, Design:Finance.”
“This is Hong Kong’s greatest opportunity to create a globally recognizable icon to complete the waterfront along Central.”- Trevor Vivian
“Benoy supported and promoted the idea of a two-envelope tender system to Government, in recognition of the quality of the design required for this development to be successful. The Government has since introduced the two envelope tender process for Site 3 which is currently weighted 50:50, Design: Finance.” - Darren Cartlidge