The 28 storey building mixes office space, retail and a ‘green’ car park in an effort to help transform the once heavily industrial area of Kowloon Bay.  To enhance its use capacity as the area continues to transform the building is organized as three realms related to the street: public, semi-public and private.  The public realm at street level is shared by the office lobby, retail and cafes all adding to the dynamism of the street.  In between the car park and the offices above is a podium garden which provides a shared communal space and centre of activity for the building’s users.  The private realm elevated above takes advantage of the views and provides an open plan design to respond to the changing socio-economic climate and needs of the neighbourhood. The location of lavatories, access to lifts, MOE provisions, and means of escape were all important parameters in developing a standard ‘office’ floor plate that could easily be divided for multiple tenants. Additional provisions have been put in place to allow the upper floors to be convertible into retail (F&B) with a floor to floor height of 4.3m.

 

Designed as a bare shell with sufficient floor loading and provisions, the car park floors can accommodate other uses as well.  Standard service and cladding components were utilised to allow for easily replacement along with the integration of a gondola system. The building is tightly connected to its surroundings and has the capacity to allow for elevated walkways, creating barrier free access from the metro station and between surrounding buildings.  Additionally, the building is setback at its lower levels as not to overwhelm the street and greenery is heavily integrated to ensure a positive contribution to the streetscape.

 

Images courtesy of Aedas Architects