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Last edited 06 Jan 2021

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RSHP Architect Website

HZMB Hong Kong Port

In October 2018, the world's longest sea-crossing bridge officially opened to the public.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) connects Hong Zong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai, spanning 34 miles (55 km). Costing approximately £15.3bn, the bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons and includes 400,000 tonnes of steel.

Roughly 30 km of the bridge crosses the sea of the Pearl River delta, with a 6.7 km section in the middle that dips down into an undersea tunnel that runs between two artificial islands, so that ships can pass through.

Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) with Aedas, the HZMB Hong Kong Port is the entry point into Hong Kong from the bridge, which has a strategic purpose to facilitate greater integration between cities around the Pearl River Delta.

The port is located on one of the artificial islands, approximately 150 hectares reclaimed from the open waters, and will serve as a transportation hub. It will also provide clearance facilities for goods and passengers using the bridge, incorporating accommodation for frontline department staff such as the Immigration Department and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department in the main Passenger Clearance Building (PCB) and 50 ancillary buildings.

The PCB receives passengers needing to clear Immigration and Customs arriving from Macau and Zhuhai at the lower level with Hong Kong departing passengers at the upper level. The clear, simple circulation is reinforced by the directional linearity of the wave roof form which enhances legibility and way-finding.

The movement through the building is punctuated by full height 'canyons' allowing the penetration of natural daylight to all levels of the building and ensuring a visual connection to the linear roof form to further reinforce the clarity of way-finding. The elegant modular roof form lent itself to off-site pre-fabrication, which enabled an efficient construction process and a very high level of quality.