The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Mr. Mark Rutte, paid an official visit to Hong Kong, a first stop on a wider visit to China. Celebrating his visit, Arcadis, together with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), arranged an exclusive tour at the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), where Arcadis has been involved in multiple projects that will span throughout the assets’ lifecycle.
Working with the Dutch Consulate in Hong Kong and the WKCDA, Arcadis was proud to deliver a VIP tour around one of its major projects, the WKCD.
After a formal meet and greet session with the Prime Minister by the WKCDA senior executives and Arcadis leaders Peter Oosterveer (Global CEO), Stephanie Hottenhuis, Matt Bennion (Asia CEO), Francis Au (Head of Hong Kong & Macau) and Robert Gordon (Executive Director), the group undertook a tour around the facility, visiting Phase One of the Art Park, the Harbour Promenade and M+ Pavilion.
The site visit celebrated two landmarks, the opening of the new Art Park and the first official visit of a Dutch Prime Minister to Hong Kong since the Netherlands opened its first consulate in the city in 1857.
Arcadis Asia CEO, Matt Bennion said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase some of the great works that we are doing here in Hong Kong to the Prime Minister. The Netherlands has a great relationship with Hong Kong and to be able to demonstrate how we are taking our leading global capabilities to improve the quality of life is something that we are very proud of.”
The WKCD project is one of the largest developments in Hong Kong and once completed, will be a world-class arts and cultural hub. Covering an area greater than 400,000 square metres, the district will comprise 17 arts and cultural venues including the Xiqu Theatre, M+ Pavilion, the Art Park, Freespace, M+ Museum and the Lyric Theatre. It will also include retail, dining and entertainment facilities as well as a hotel, office and residential developments.
Arcadis Global CEO, Peter Oosterveer, commented “We have a track record of working on some of the world’s most iconic projects. WKCD is another example, and when finished, it will help define the Hong Kong landscape and become a significant part of how we are supporting global cities to improve liveability for its inhabitants.”