K11 MUSEA To Green Hong Kong’s Harbourside w/ Biodiversity Museum & Sustainability Education Park

K11 MUSEA officially opens this month as Hong Kong’s first urban biodiversity museum and sustainability education park, called the Nature Discovery Park. Part of Victoria Dockside, a New World Development backed decade-long regeneration project featuring a 3 million sq.ft. art and design district, K11 MUSEA’s mission is to offer Hong Kongers a space to reconnect with nature and encourage more positive and eco-friendly habits. 

Located along Tsim Sha Tsui’s harbour front, Nature Discovery Park hopes to foster greater awareness among city dwellers about sustainable urban living and the need to conserve our planet. The biodiversity museum, created in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute, will showcase Hong Kong’s green landscapes and local species. As well as guided “Nature Discovery Tours” of the outdoor flowering zone, the space will also feature workshops and activities to promote overall health and wellbeing, green education and partnerships with local organisations. 

K11 MUSEA, which also features a green mall concept, has obtained gold certifications from international standard LEED Building Certification and Hong Kong-based BEAM Plus. The site sits on one of Hong Kong’s former logistics hubs dating back to 1910, historically known as “Holt’s Wharf”. The Nature Discovery Park plans to host a range of cultural programmes and local art installations such as the current nature-inspired pieces Giant Triple Mushrooms by Carsten Höller and United Nations of Happiness after Homosapiens leave the Earth by Korakrit Arunanondchai. 

One of the initiatives supported by the park is an “Urban Farming Experience”, where visitors can learn about the benefits of farm-to-table dining, vertical farming and why local agriculture is more sustainable. According to the Hong Kong government’s statistics, around 90% of the total food supply in the city is imported rather than locally grown, ranking as one of the world’s lowest in terms of self-sufficiency. In the midst of our current biodiversity and climate emergency, and with Hong Kongers consuming more meat and dairy, the city is incredibly vulnerable to food insecurity. Given this, encouraging environmental conservation, local production and responsible consumption is more relevant than ever before. 

Plant-based foodies can also enjoy the soon-to-open dining options in the K11 MUSEA mall, including London transplant Avobar (not 100% vegetarian but very herbivore friendly), DAMA (already open), a new vegan soft serve & smoothie concept (we’re crushing on the dragon fruit sorbet and the oatly milk freeze) and Infiniti C, the gluten-free and vegan-friendly cafe chain popular among the plant-based crew for their delicious dairy-free cakes.

Lead image courtesy of K11 MUSEA.