The architect, who provoked a debate over the Tai Tam Reservoir Dam by proposing a new bridge, has published another provocative proposal: To replace the Central Market with a large open space(將中環街市變成一個偌大公共空間).
There are many good reasons for this. Pavements in Central are narrow and densely packed with people. Open spaces can only be enjoyed in front of HSBC and next to COSCO Tower. By removing the Central Market, a large open space – a Central Oasis – will appear in the middle of Central.
The design shows a ‘Station’ in a park with escalators and elevators linking the street level and the footbridges which take you to the Mid-levels, ferry piers, train stations, bus stops, and buildings throughout Central. The Station includes food and beverage outlets with seating in the park, and on the roof.
But what about the heritage value of the Central Market? The truth is that in the scheme of the Urban Renewal Authority, there will be nothing left except for an old stair case(市建局的計劃本身，都打算只拆剩一條舊樓梯). They are unwilling to respect the heritage of the Central Market. Out of the 200 stalls, only 13 will be retained together with parts of the outside walls. There is also no indication that the URA has any clue on how to manage the Central Market. In the absence of a policy to restore and operate the Central Market as a market with all(as many as possible) of its original stalls intact, we may well be better off with a brilliant open space(反正局方無政策復修中環街市，不如索性改成公共空間更理想). So I fully support this provocation to rethink the future of the Central Market.
For lots of visuals, see: m-codesign.com/central-oasis/.Share your views facebook/PZpage.