The Hong Kong Spin with its horizontal wheel and inclined tower is more apt for Hong Kong's iconic skyline, says designer Nigel Reading. Provided to China Daily

As attractions go, the two Ferris wheels under proposal look pretty tame when compared to HK$1.5 billion wheel project designed by concept architect Nigel Reading.

Hong Kong Spin, as it is named, features a 200 meter-tall leaning observation tower and a horizontal spinning wheel that houses bars and restaurants, all with a revolving view of the harbour and skyline.

The ambitious design was originally put forward as a project for Tai Mo Shan as an entry for a design competition organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects to celebrate Hong Kong's handover in 1997.

For ten years, it remained on the drawing board but then in 2007, Reading resubmitted it as a proposal for the old Kai Tak airport site.

It is the Eiffel Tower and the London Eye rolled into one and sure-fire icon for the city, according to Reading.

"The thing about Hong Kong Spin is that it is bespoke tailored for the Hong Kong story," said Reading.

"Its form represents the both Chinese character 'Jung' (meaning middle) and the Greek letter 'Phi' (sign for the golden ration in symmetry), which is a circle with the line going through it.

"It is a reflection that Hong Kong is a city produced by both Western and Eastern cities; it is a fusion.

"So it's not just a novelty or a gimmick that the wheel is horizontal, it has very strong symbolic association with Hong Kong."

The Spin's inclined tower - the line in the Greek phi letter - features pods which spiral up and down in a continuous cycle, taking visitors to the observation platform at the top and back down again.

It also proposed the use of cutting-edge technology taking advantage of sustainable energy sources such as wind farms and the tidal energy of the harbour to power and light the wheel.

Reading, who now runs his own company Asynsis Architecture and Design, said the project was very well received in 2007, by the Tourism Commission and Frederick Ma, then the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, who requested a feasibility report.

However, then the global economic recession hit and interest in the project waned.

"Basically, it just didn't happen then because of the crash," said Reading. "It is very much on the table and we are now hoping to garner developer interest to re-propose it to Hong Kong, not at the original site which was not feasible because the helipad needed to be on the tip of the old runway, but at other sites such as West Kowloon."

Reading said the Hong Kong Spin team features all the original partners in their respective roles with Arup providing all the engineering services, Aedas as executive architects and himself as the originating concept designer.

"The project is very much alive and we are seeking commercial partners to join the government in a public private partnership consortium arrangement to first fund a feasibility report into the technical, commercial and social aspects of the project and - pending the results - to then proceed with a full design development, documentation and tendering process," said Reading.

"I would love to see it happening. It is very apt potential landmark for branding Hong Kong."

(HK Edition 09/29/2011 page4)