South Roof Garden of the M+ building. Photo: Dan Leung. M+, Hong Kong
SUHANYA RAFFEL:
The dialogue between inside and outdoor spaces is one that runs across M+. In the internal communal areas especially, you are never far from the natural environment—be that through the generous provision for sunlight offered by the lightwells on Level 2, to the shaded, semi-outside spaces on the Ground level.
Here though, on the Roof Garden that runs across the top of the museum’s podium—the exhibition galleries are now directly below you—you’re firmly back in the outside world. It’s from this vantage point that you get the best view of the M+ tower, which houses our unique LED screen. An enormous display 110 metres across and 66 metres tall, this facade is no ordinary screen. During the day, you might not even notice that there’s a screen here—over five and a half thousand LEDs are embedded into the concrete trunk of the facade, sandwiched between the corrugated terracotta tiles. At 6pm every day, almost like magic, the LEDs are activated, and the tower turns into a breathing skin, an opportunity to show what’s inside the building to the outside world.
It’s a dynamic new addition to the many advertising billboards already punctuating the city skyline, and we are committed to using this facade to share visual culture with Hong Kong, showcasing existing works from our collection and newly commissioned pieces from creative makers. It’s been designed so that it can be enjoyed from different angles and light levels, meaning you’ll be able to see it as clearly from Hong Kong Island at night, over a kilometre away, as you will from the nearby Art Park at dusk.
If you’re ending your architecture tour here on the M+ Roof Garden, do take some time to enjoy the beautiful gardens and the panoramic view of Hong Kong from the top of the podium. We hope you’ve enjoyed this tour, and that it’s empowered you to look twice at the museum spaces of M+. The architects have created a truly unique new public space for Hong Kong, totally different from anything else in the city. Its vast footprint, airy communal spaces, transparent outlook, and merging of inside and outside all come together to create a museum that’s constantly surprising, and one that we hope you continue to enjoy discovering.
Take care.