Image Credit : One Plus Photography
Project Overview
Located on the top floor of a commercial building among the hustle and bustle financial district in Central, HK, this 7,000 sq.ft. was transformed from a traditional box-like office to a dynamic, energetic and futuristic workplace.
Our first impression of the client was a young group of male professionals who holds a variety of businesses, one of which is a prominent concrete plant in China. So we developed our design based on the materiality of concrete, its fluidity, varying tones of greys and texture, to create a sense of masculinity, style and permanence.
Project Commissioner
Huasheng International Holding Limited
Project Creator
Team
Mona Yu, Kathy Kan
Project Brief
Materiality of concrete
Our concept for this project is an exhibit on exploring the materiality of concrete - its earthy and tactile nature, its fluidity that creates both mass and permanance. We designed all areas with a concrete grey palette in mind and build layers on top of it. At the entrance corridor and lobby, we based our palette on concrete grey and outlined the entrance door by a slanted curvilinear bronze metal trim, making the entrance not only looking wider and more striking, but also offering a glimpse to the waiting lobby.
Fluid circulation
The oval-shaped waiting lobby is flanked to the right from the entrance, creating this fluid bubble that leads to the big meeting room, small meeting room and office area. The flooring is a concrete based terrazzo which has a subtle medium grey as a base color, and is mixed with white marble pebbles to give a luxurious boutique layer.
Project Innovation/Need
Organic form
The conceptual motif of the big meeting room is based on the fluid nature of the materiality of concrete. Each 3-dimensional curvilinear wall and ceiling panel is custom designed and cut to mimic concrete’s mutability for organic forms as a built element.
Color
Concrete grey is the tone we have set for since the beginning of the project. But to build up another layer of youth, energy and dynamics, we have added in the 3 colors from the company’s logo. In the lobby, we have a lush indigo blue velvet sofa; in the office corridor, we applied indigo blue brushstrokes onto the carpet tile; mustard yellow is used in the open office cubicle, and in the small meeting room, we have a crimson red sofa to add some excitement to the space.
Design Challenge
Lighting
The main office and pantry area was quite dim at its original status, the curtain wall was made up of 2 layers of tinted glazing. While we were designing the open office space, not only did we bear in mind to keep the fluid quality on the layout, we also try to flood in as much sunlight as possible into the office. We have applied white gradient crystal glass for all office corridor, intending to bring as much natural light in but also maintaining privacy for all the managers.
Sustainability
Always having sustainability in consideration, along with COVID restrictions and tight timeline of the project, we have selected all our materials locally or within the South China region. The terrazzo flooring throughout the lobby is well-known for its sustainability and eco-friendly quality, due to its natural composition, terrazzo does not contain any VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The carpet tile in the open office has a 51% pre-consumer recycled content. The backing obtained the EcoFlex - NSF 140 Gold level, and the overall product also has a CRI Green Label Plus GLP1171 certificate indicating its safety for indoor air quality.
Interior Design - Corporate & Commercial
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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