Project Overview

The project Flavor Funhouse is part of the newly opened K11 Musea upscale shopping mall in Hong Kong. This one-floor area is required to be designed as a special retail zone in the basement of the building with shops and a food court. Its total area is approximately 30,000 sq.ft. The special family-friendly arcade zoning reflects its most thoughtful and benevolent design in every details through an ingenious approach. The general design concept aims at re-creating a mix of exotically rustic and demi-extravagence experience for its customers walking down the street. The team is determined to offer an effortless enjoyment during shopping and a relaxing ambience in this fast-paced and stressful city.
The overall lively and refreshing atmosphere is to convey joy and energy. Stores on two sides with transparent bi-fold glass doors framed in rusty metal finishes shop-front simulates the exotic street scenery in European style. Walking down the street, the customer will reach the “Food Playground”. Seatings that differ in designs and wooden shades are specially tailored for diversified groups of customers: four remarkable structural pillars are transformed as bar setting for individuals or couples; small tables of four are scattered around the long oak tables which suit big families and friends; all effortlessly show a coherence among differences.

Project Commissioner

New World Development Company Limited

Project Creator

Dr. Adrian Cheng Chi-Kong JP + Stefano Tordiglione (ST design)

Team

Foodcourt Design Team: New World Development Company Limited - Strategic Design & Customer Department

Project Brief

The food court is a reflection of designer's benevolent intension and wherefore earned her name the Flavor Funhouse for the special seating arrangement. The court is designed as three zones considering the need of end-users and location spacing features. The first one is an open area party zoning with a chilling atmosphere, where long and wide wooden tables are placed in the middle to practically allow big group parties and gatherings. The second one is a casual bar zone. Because of the foreseeable high traffic characteristic of the area, it is not ideal for sitting long but should be causal and inviting still, individuals or couples can stand around and chit-chat like that in a bar. Away from the high traffic area, designer has the third zoning designated as a private dining zone. The Tatami setting in an earthy tone, individual sofa seats upholstered in white fabric, it is an oasis perfect for those seeking a quiet corner for reading, private chat or simply a cup of coffee.
The flooring uses imported Italian hexagon tiles of four colors from white to black, starting the journey from the entrance down from the escalator, randomly patterned but then merely the one with a curious and observing mind would discover a subtle change of the random pattern to the lovely daisy tile pattern arrangement, leading the enjoyment to the next destination.

Project Innovation/Need

Unlike the narrow passages in most food courts, those in the funhouse remain wide enough to encourage diners to move around, more importantly for children and elderly safety concerns. It is an urbane gastronomy hub to share one's most intimate and relaxing dining moments.
In lift lobby, the team desires to build an uncommon voguish astueness. The red brick feature wall with a big sharp yellowish-lucent "B2" sign start building a on-the-street association. The design ensures her visitors can taste the fun and playful savour by paving the diamond mosaic tile flooring in black and white then inserting a sudden change of zebra-crossing pattern in between. It changes again to the more delicate hexagon of black and white shades. Visitors are welcomed by a warm ambience where structural pillars are cleverly disguised as floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves behind the glass bi-fold doors framed in rusty iron.
The lavatory also draws inspiration from cityscape, in which customers will find the consistent eye-catching red brick wall entrance. A rustic cement flooring in light gray gives the lavatory an exotic street and industrial flavour. The high and low arranged mirrors above the washing basics are purposely installed while the church-inspired colour tinted frosted ripple glass in the lady dressing room for another aura of elegance; lavatory cubicle doors adorned in featured grids of pink shades highlight an elegant but jaunty contrast. For gentlemen, the cohesion of industrial yet debonair style extends on the raw metal washing basins in bronze.

Design Challenge

Since the area is in the lower basement of the complex, the team worries its lack of natural sunlight and the limited headroom would weaken the overall customer experience. The food court occupies nearly half of the area, and due to some structure limitations, the space does not allow the passage to be arranged as circulated open ring-shape as on upper floors.
Therefore an inviting environment is created using elements of street arcade which is generated through a series of Italian style shop front, to enhance the sense of space. Visitors will encounter an intriguing in-and-outdoor experience while walking along the street. To better the sense of place, the ceiling finishes in bronze metal racks is partly covered with fresh green psedo-ivy, and allows some of the painted pipe-ducts to be visible to create a rustic but organic feeling. Stores on two sides with transparent bi-fold glass doors shop front also simulates the exotic street scenery in European style.

Sustainability

We believe that an important aspect of sustainability is to keep the existing structure and give life to old utilities. We have created a contemporary building that referenced the history of its site. Victoria Dockside is built on the site formerly known as Holt’s Wharf dated back to 1910, which turned into the New World Centre in 1978. The reinvented car park re-used some of the columns of the original building as a testament to its rich history. Covered in diamond-shaped metal mesh for protection, the columns keeps on sustaining the weight of the property. This has reduced the work of building new columns for the new structure. This solution is economical in terms of cost and materials.

Interior Design - Retail - Shopping & Food

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

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