The first proposed site for Kennedy Town Station was the Forbes Street Playground, where construction would affect a number of 120-year-old banyan trees growing on historic stone walls. To protect the trees, the station box was shifted eastward, onto Smithfield and the site of the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool.
A new pool had to be constructed elsewhere before the original one could be demolished. The site chosen was a surface car park that boasted an uninterrupted sea view but had lain derelict since the land was reclaimed in the 1990s. To draw residents to this neglected corner of an otherwise vibrant neighbourhood, the site demanded a memorable icon.
Likened to a futuristic spaceship by the South China Morning Post, the new Kennedy Town Swimming Pool was constructed in two phases: the first phase was opened to the public in May 2011 and comprises a 50-metre outdoor pool and a smaller leisure pool, both with magnificent views of Victoria Harbour and Belcher Bay Park.
During construction of the MTR West Island Line, the site adjacent to the first phase of the swimming pool hosted a shaft for the removal of underground spoil. After the railway line opened in 2014, construction of the pool’s second phase began there. Featuring two indoor pools, a jacuzzi, and an outdoor garden, the final stage of the project opened in February 2017.
The Kennedy Town Swimming Pool has been featured in a variety of publications including Architects’ Journal, HKIA Journal, Dezeen, HK01, and Archdaily. It won Large Project of the Year 2016, awarded by the New Engineering Contract (NEC) of the United Kingdom’s Institution of Civil Engineers.
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