PRC Magazine #96 ( Architecture | Building | Construction )

2019 Issue 96

Pacific Rim Construction

BUROHAPPOLD ENGINEERING

INVESTS IN ASIAN GROWTH, APPOINTING NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

Inside: Develop your own piece of paradise at Wavi Island, Fiji New gateway to China, West Kowloon Station opens

Hong Kong / PRC $50

Schotten & Hansen acoustic board products served first class Old Xi’an textile factory reborn as new cultural landmark DUKES PLACE boasts luxurious Italian designed kitchens

ISSN 1684-1956 977168495009

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Plan In’s portfolio of premier interiors is defined by meticulous attention to detail and a superb level of craftsmanship incorporating some of the finest materials to create perfect finishes woven together to create tactile, layered spaces. Plan In has delivered many of the city’s enduring restaurants and renowned eateries. 香港不少酒店內的高級餐廳食府，內飾裝潢均由藍圖設計工程 有限公司主理。藍圖對內飾細節注重及精湛工藝水平早已享譽 業界，並結合優質選材及豐富經驗，為餐飲項目提升豪華及享 受體驗，令顧客賓至如歸。

Wavi Island, Fiji

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ

Private Island for Sale

W

e all have that dream to own a little bit of paradise - a tropical island paradise ticks just about all the boxes. If this is your dream, Wavi Island can turn that into a reality.

Wavi Island is a 27 acre (approx.) island a few minutes’ drive from Savusavu Airport on Fiji’s largest northern island, Vanua Levu - an hour’s flight from Nadi International Airport. The island is connected by a 450 metre long low bridge to the mainland - so you get all the benefits of island living without the need for water taxi transfers.

We are seeking expressions of interest - to those who are looking for their own private island paradise or to get involved in some low key development work as a possible joint venture - all the basics have been completed and you can sell off the freehold lots over time. Or for a hotel developer to come in and complete the development to the original plans which was for it to be a collection of privately owned luxury villas with common areas that included resort facilities and operate an amazing boutique resort.

Information pack and current independent valuation available to qualified purchasers.

Attractive vendor terms available.

For further information please contact Chester Rendell m +64 21 964 873 | t +64 9 407 1010 chester.rendell@nzsir.com View: www.nzsothebysrealty.com/qbs11882

Dec 2018 /Jan 2019 Issue 96 FACEBOOK

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2018 Issue 96

Pacific Rim Construction

BuroHappold EnginEEring

invEsts in asian growtH, appointing nEw Managing dirEctor

Inside: Develop your own piece of paradise at Wavi Island, Fiji New gateway to China, West Kowloon Station opens

Hong Kong / PRC $50

Schotten & Hansen acoustic board products served first class

Cover photo of Musuem of the Future

Old Xi’an textile factory reborn as new cultural landmark DUKES PLACE boasts luxurious Italian designed kitchens

ISSN 1684-1956 977168495009

96

Musuem of the Future, Dubai, UAE

32

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8 PRESS

P&T GROUP TO DONATE 150-YEAR ARCHIVE FOR DISPLAY AT HONG KONG’S M+ MUSEUM

GOVERNMENT AWARDS CONTRACT FOR KAI TAK SPORTS PARK AFTER OPEN TENDER

International architectural and engineering consultancy P&T Group will donate its collection of historical architectural archives – including original sketches, manuscripts, drawings and photographs – to the University of Hong Kong and M+ Museum. Established in 1868, the P&T Group has played a key role in shaping the architectural fabric of Hong Kong, with noticeable buildings and projects at the centre of the city including Jardine House, the Landmark, the Hong Kong Club Building and the former Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Headquarters. The collection includes original sketches, manuscripts, drawings and photographs for academic research and exhibition purposes to be conserved by the two institutions to ensure conservation and access to these important archival materials. “Providing the public with access to these important archives and resources, the donation serves as the first step to enable the public to gain in-depth understanding of the stories and purposes behind our architectural design,” said P&T Group director Chris Che. P&T Group is consistently ranked in the top ten largest consultancies in the world, with 1600-plus architects, engineers, urban planners and designers working in more than 70 cities. www.p-t-group.com

The HKSAR Government announced on 28 Dec. that after open tender the contract for the design, construction and operation of the Kai Tak Sports Park has been awarded to the Kai Tak Sports Park Ltd., a subsidiary of New World Development Company Limited and NWS Holdings Limited established specifically for the project. Its project team comprises overseas and local experts experienced in design, construction, venue management, sales and marketing, and retail and operation. The Government’s most important investment in sports infrastructure in recent decades, when complete it will become the biggest sports venue in Hong Kong, occupying some 28 hectares. The focal point will be the 50,000-seat Main Stadium.

With a soundproof retractable roof and flexible pitch surface the stadium will be ideal for hosting major rugby and football tournaments and globally significant entertainment events. An Indoor Sports Centre will provide a large multipurpose space, and with most of its 10,000 seats retractable or removable it will be suitable for hosting major competitions, also providing many indoor sports courts for everyday community use. The 5 000-seat Public Sports Ground can host school athletics meetings, athletics training and local football league games and will be open to the public free of charge for jogging and exercise. Construction works will commence in the first quarter of 2019 and are scheduled for completion in 2023. www.kaitaksportspark.hk

REDISCOVER NATURE AT SEA AND ON LAND AT THIS PRIVATE KIWI IDYLLL IN THE SOUTH Surrounded on three sides by water, boasting 8km of private beaches, forest and farmland, Westhaven Retreat’s 329.9 ha combines wild landscapes, ancient flora and abundant marine life. Offered by Sotheby’s International Realty New Zealand, the property includes space for a family retreat, high-end tourist lodge and opportunities to farm. The property is currently on the market for US$15.1 million. A helicopter flight from Nelson, the property includes a 2,732m2 lodge and 102m2 cottage designed and built with a holistic view and a low-carbon outlook. The lodge includes quality materials such as Brazilian Teak, Tasmanian Oak and Schist. There are five premium rooms, two luxurious suites, a library, dining and lounge areas that circulate around a 24-m indoor heated swimming pool, sauna and exercise space. www.sothebysrealty.com

ONE BRIDGE,THREE CITIES:ARUP CELEBRATES A TREMENDOUS FEAT OF ENGINEERING

Hailed as an engineering wonder, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge improves transport connectivity between Hong Kong, Macau and major cities in Guangdong province. This milestone in the integration of the Greater Bay Area saw Arup’s involvement from an early stage. In the main section of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge in the sea off Zhuhai, Arup’s role started in 2009 when the organisation carried out the concept and preliminary design in a joint venture with the China Highway and Planning Design Institute. The main section comprises three navigation channel bridges: Jiuzhou, Jianghai and Qingzhou. The link is prominent from the land, sea and air, and features a unique and aesthetic design. Resilience and sustainability were also high on the agenda to address concerns such as frequent typhoons and habitats of dolphins. All the three bridges were proposed to be cable-supported with central towers of different shapes placed between the carriageways to give both a visual affinity and variety between the bridges. For environmental purposes, single column piers were used to support the structure with piles buried in the seabed. www.arup.com

9

‘OVERWHELMING’ PRE-LEASING RESPONSE FOR CHINACHEM’S ONE HENNESSY, SAYS JLL Chinachem Group’s One Hennessy is nearly complete and available for lease, with JLL appointed as the sole leasing agent. “Many occupiers are moving towards new, collaborative working practices, with which One Hennessy can help enhance and enable being a brand new building. One Hennessy’s fundamental location and specifications are set to draw a big response from occupiers, which has been proven by the swift pre-commitment rate. With only four floors still available,” said Paul Yien, JLL’s head of landlord representation. Set for completion in Q1, One Hennessy comprises 21 office floors extending up to about 1,140m2 lettable per floor. Clear floor-toceiling height spans about 2.97 m to 3.27 m, with 150 mm raised floors provided as standard.

Complementing the office tower is a retail podium dedicated to dining and retail outlets to serve the office tenants. With easy access to the Admiralty MTR station, One Hennessy offers superior connectivity with all parts of Hong Kong and is a few minutes’ walk from five-star hotels, the lifestyle district of Star Street and Ship Street, and luxury shopping malls. www.jll.com.hk

ZAHA HADID UNVEILS THE KENSINGTON, A SINUOUS DIGITAL CANVAS FOR JCDECAUX

An attempt to redefine the language of billboards has seen Zaha Hadid Design combine digital screen technology with a double-ribbon of matt stainless steel in The Kensington. The work for out-of-home advertising specialist JCDecaux provided a unique communications channel in London that integrates contemporary design and digital media in a piece of public art.

“Both a civic gesture and a promotional medium, the intertwined, looped ribbon design expresses the dynamism of pedestrian and vehicle traffic movements. The stainless steel ribbon twists as it encircles the screen, defining a varying silhouette when seen from different viewpoints,” said Melodie Leung, senior associate at Zaha Hadid Design. “It will be fascinating to see how brands respond to this sculptural digital canvas.” The Kensington’s high-resolution 26x6 metre screen provides visibility and maximum quality of display for brands, framed by the 30x9 metre steel structure. It is set in an area that has been landscaped to enhance the local environment with the planting of trees and greenery, and additional lighting that increase visibility for pedestrians. www.zaha-hadid.com

AEDAS-DESIGNED HONG LEONG CITY CENTRE DELIVERS NEW HUB AT SUZHOU BUSINESS PARK

OUTSTANDING PROJECTS HONOURED AT 12TH ANNUAL HONG KONG BIM AWARDS

The 12th Autodesk Hong Kong BIM Awards ceremony was held on 29 October, in which Autodesk honours outstanding building and infrastructure projects and celebrates professionals and students for best use of digital construction technology. The annual awards highlight bold and innovative projects that push the limits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, and are transforming the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry for a more efficient and sustainable era.

The student category of the BIM Awards also shines a spotlight on the next generation workforce that is fuelling the future of the industry’s development. “Hong Kong is one of the global pioneers of BIM. By using BIM as the bedrock foundation of their projects, this year’s honourees truly demonstrate how we can connect data with insights to improve predictability and efficiency, enhance quality and drive innovation,” said Dr. Wendy Lee, Regional Manager of Autodesk, Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau. www.autodesk.com.hk/hkbimawards

The recently opened Hong Leong City Centre is a mixed-use urban development in the Suzhou Industrial Park with a GFA of 29,608m2. The development creates of a hotel, office, retail and serviced apartments with a 150-m hotel and office tower, a 150-m SOHO tower, two 100-m residential towers and a central commercial podium, the HLCC Mall. The architectural design produces a unique organic form which melds seamlessly into the city’s landscape. Horizontal lines dominate the façades and the differences in building heights create a threedimensional terraced form, reminding people of the terraced tea plantations in the region. While facing planning conditions that limit building heights and massing, the four towers are situated on the four corners of the site to maximise views of the nearby Jinji Lake. The façade of the two taller towers are also designed in a unified coordination to produce a twin-tower effect. The podium links two towers together and features two atria. Visitors may enjoy both lake and garden views on the rooftop garden and outdoor terraces. www.aedas.com

10 PRESS

BENOY TO DIRECT MASTERPLAN FOR KEY WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT IN WENZHOU

BIG CRAFTS 79&PARK HOUSING COMPLEX IN THE IMAGE OF ITS STOCKHOLM SETTING

Having won the international competition to design Incity Mega for SCPG in Wenzhou, Benoy is now responsible for two key developments in the city’s central masterplan. The Incity Mega project, first announced in the middle of last year, will be built alongside the Central Green Axis project for China Vanke. The parcels of land for the Incity Mega project are located on the eastern side of the Central Green Axis. Benoy has been tasked to produce a shopping centre and waterfront boutique district. The vision for the project is to deliver what Benoy calls a “three-dimensional urban space” – an interconnected destination blurring boundaries between commercial and public realms. Combined, the GFA is 250,000m2. “We saw the opportunity for both plots to become an extension of the Green Axis Park for Wenzhou”, said Qin Pang, head of Benoy’s Shanghai studio. “With the unique benefit of being on the waterfront, we wanted to open up the spaces and make the most of this environment alongside the commercial offerings of the development.” www.benoy.com

With its silhouette of rising and falling housing modules set against some of Stockholm’s most treasured natural attributes, the recently commissioned 79&Park is a porous residential building of 3.6 m x 3.6 m modules organised around an open green courtyard. Commissioned in 2011, Danish practice Big was hired to create unique contemporary homes with generous views and outdoor space, while remaining respectful to the national park, the Gärdet, neighbouring buildings and the royal harbour, Frihamnen. “79&Park is conceived as an inhabitable landscape of cascading residences that combine the splendours of a suburban home with the qualities of urban living; the homes have private outdoor gardens and penthouse views of the city and Gärdet,” said Big founding partner Bjarke Ingels. The building’s tallest corner is lifted up to 35 m in order to maximise the inflow of natural daylight as well as views towards Gärdet and the Frihamnen port for most of its units. The modules cascade down to the building’s lowest profile at just 7 m, gradually extending the wooden development into the park.

79&Park appears like a gentle hillside, seamlessly blending into the nature around it. www.big.dk

HSIN CHONG STRUCK OUT, GAMMON IN AT THE WEST KOWLOON M+ PROJECT

COMANSA CRANES WORKING ON SITE AT LUXURY APARTMENT COMPLEX IN NIGERIA

Gammon Construction has been appointed by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to oversee the completion of the M+ project – primarily a 14-storey vertical tower over a three-storey podium and two-storey basement. Gammon’s appointment as management contractor replaces Hsin Chong Construction, which was ruled out from continuing in the position due to the company’s insolvency. “Gammon is delighted with the opportunity to play a key role in facilitating the sustainable development of Hong Kong as an international arts and cultural metropolis,” Gammon chief executive Thomas Ho says. “We are fully committed to embracing the challenges ahead and are confident that we will safely deliver the project to the highest quality and within the construction programme.”

To ensure the safe and efficient project delivery, Gammon will employ advanced technologies such as BIM, 3D scanning, RFID and adopt Design for Manufacture and Assembly in the course of the construction, which had stalled but is due for completion by end of this year. The M+ project also includes a conservation and storage facility of a 9-storey tower with supporting basement, a 2-storey interfacing carpark, and a 16-storey retail, dining and entertainment building. www.gammonconstruction.com

Contractor ITB Nigeria is using six Comansa cranes for the construction of the Azuri Peninsula apartments, developed by Eko Development Co. in a brand new city on reclaimed land in Lagos. This ambitious project will allow Africa’s most populated country to gain around 10 km2 of land that was lost to the Atlantic Ocean and create an important business hub for the entire continent. Azuri Peninsula is being built at the Marina District, one of ten areas of the city that will concentrate most of its leisure opportunities. The Comansa machines onsite have a flat-top design and maximum load capacity of 18-20 tonnes. They are taking on the construction of the three towers that form the complex, each up to 140m high. “Due to the height of the buildings, it has been essential to rely on cranes with high hoist speeds,” says Paul Kattar, tower crane manager at ITB Nigeria. “The work cycles of the Comansa cranes on site are very short, which increase its productivity, and helps us to also shorten work times.” The cranes are working 24 hours a day, lifting steel structures during the daytime and helping with the concrete works during the night, often at their maximum height, the tallest reaching 163.5m. www.comansa.com

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A NEW ATELIER BRÜCKNER MUSEUM CELEBRATES LANDSCAPE OF SAUDI ARABIA

APPLY NOW FOR CHANCE TO WIN A 2019 CIC CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION AWARD

The Arabian Journeys exhibition in the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture presents natural history and culture as a three - dimensional narrative experience that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the landscape of the Arabian peninsula. The Atelier Brückner creation stages the visit as a journey, which Ahmed und Tariq, two Arab guides, invite visitors to take part in. Visitors enter a clear, flowing spatial structure as an autonomous space within the gallery area, which is 1,300m2 . Five “ribbons” made of high-quality mineral material enclose and frame a variety of different spaces. Each ribbon represents a particular theme. It guides the visitor out of the central ‘connection zone’ and into the individually designed theme-based areas. Here, there is a film projection surface which completely surrounds the visitor and, in combination with light and sound, generates immersive experiences.

Visitors become part of the landscape cycles portrayed by means of the films’ narratives. The King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture is one of the world’s greatest places 2018 according to Time magazine. It was designed with the Norwegian architect’s office Snøhetta and incorporates several museum exhibitions, a library, theatre and cinema. www.atelier-brueckner.com

The CIC Construction Innovation Award 2019 is now taking submissions and members of the construction industry are invited to apply before the June 28 deadline. The awards aim to spearhead the transformation of the industry through innovation and this year, productivity, sustainability and safety are the three areas in focus, said the head of the judging panel Ringo Yu. At the launch, CIC chairman Ka-kui Chan said Hong Kong’s construction sector faced critical challenges, such as an ageing workforce and high costs. To tackle the challenges, innovation had become an essential source of competitive advantage. The CIC has been organising the Construction Innovation Award on a biennial basis since 2015 to drive innovation in the construction industry, hoping that the construction projects are in an efficient, safe, and green manner. The CIC says it will continue to proactively promote the development of innovative technologies in construction industry, co-creating a new era of the industry with safety, productivity and environmental protection. innovationaward.cic.hk

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, OPEN THESE ULTRA-RELIABLE AUB FOLDING SHUTTERS

AUB Ltd has earned a reputation for making the most reliable security shutters in Hong Kong and it was for that reason they were selected to supply and install all of the electric and manual folding shutters for the fire and ambulance depots on the recently opened Hong Kong–Zhuhai– Macau Bridge. The specialty shutters from AUB are known for precision, quality and long-lasting qualities that meet the highest expectations of many customers, but particularly those operating in emergency and first response situations. For the new bridge, AUB worked with its longterm British partner WEM Welding Engineers. AUB however focuses on serving the government and other institutional customers in Hong Kong and Macau. The company has operational installations at the Hong Kong International Airport, the premises owned by MTR Corp, government offices and hospitals. www.aub.com.hk

Over 20 years in Hong Kong Over 2,000,000 locks sold to 764 retail shops

12 PRESS

FUTURE-FOCUSED ALEXANDER WONG ADDS LIFE TO SOGO SPORTS IN HONG KONG

HIGH-END DESIGNER TAPWARE LINE CLAIMS A GERMAN DESIGN AWARD FOR DELABIE

Inspired by Anya Hindmarch, Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma and Star Wars, Sports Futura is the theme of the Sogo Sports retail space by Alexander Wong Architects. The recently completed original design creates a lifestyle shopping destination on the 4th floor of the Sogo department store in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. The renovation project covers more than 2,000m2.

Sports Futura sets a benchmark for sports retail within a department store environment. The key features of this functional, modular, dynamic and innovative design include the Make-A-Shelf System, inspired by Anya Hindmarch’s Build-A-Bag System, modular Beton brute wall panels and flooring inspired by Tadao Ando, and the Tree of Life Ceiling, inspired by Kengo Kuma’s Starbucks Café. Among other features are what Wong calls “Fluorescent Power Signage” and the “Giant Power Disc” in neon as an entry point to the space near the escalators. www.alexanderwong.com.hk

Tapware from the French sanitaryware and plumbing group Delabie has claimed a German Design Award, a rare achievement. The award-winning Binoptic tap was recognised for product design and among the few products noted for their individual, innovative contribution to the evolution of the international design landscape. The Binoptic features a pure and timeless design that is more than just a decorative element. The factory-set flow rate is 3 lpm and the automatic closure achieves 90 percent water savings compared to classic mixers or taps. The flow rate can be adjusted from 1.5 to 6 lpm to adapt to the conditions of use. There is also now a tall version to fit countertop and semi-recessed washbasins. The German Design Award, conferred by the jury of experts at the German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung), is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world and enjoys a reputation which extends beyond specialist circles. The competition imposes extremely high criteria in the selection of its winners and only products of exceptional quality and design are invited to compete. www.delabie.com

STUDIO X TASKED TO ‘BRING WONDER’ WITH DESIGN FOR FAO SCHWARZ TOY STORE

BOCONCEPT LAUNCHES ITS FIRST DESIGN HUB IN HONG KONG

The interior designers at Hong Kong’s Studio X have delivered a prototype retail concept for the iconic New York toy store FAO Schwarz. The concept store opened in November with a vision the space will play a key role in the brand’s expansion across Asia. FAO Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the US and an icon of New York retailing. The store has frequently been referenced in the media, including a scene in the movie Big where actor Tom Hanks famously danced across the store’s giant floor piano. The new outlet is within the newly opened ThreeSixty Group’s Hong Kong office, another space designed by Studio X. The new prototype will act as a benchmark that reflects the brand’s philosophy, Return to Wonder. The design carries the same sense of theatre and occasion present in the original New York outlet.

Memorable elements such as the giant floor piano and clock tower are retained in the new design for the 106m2 space. www.thisisstudiox.com

Through its new store at Lee Garden Three , BoConcept invites architects and designers to co-create through its latest concept, BoConcept’s Design Hub. Offered as a constant resource for the industr y, designers can now work with BoConcept on a scalable model, which includes readily available tools to help style, design and market a designer’s idea. BoConcept is delivering a one-stop solution for property professionals to create commercial projects and build their portfolios. For interior designers and architects seeking inspiration, the Design Hub provides style guides, space management software and room planners, to execute their latest projects with the scalable and highlycustomised B2B furniture product ranges BoConcept offers. With the Style Guide, interior designers can pick any products from its Metropolitan or Scandinavian collections, with variations on colour themes that reflect current trends. With these design solutions, BoConcept has been showcasing numerous hotels, apartments, offices, co-working spaces and other commercial projects including, Facebook’s offices in San Francisco, Hotel Sonnenburg and Sotheby’s office in Austria as well as the Hakusan House in Japan. www.boconcept.com

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R+T Asia Announces 2019 Show Theme

Green Embraces Comfort, Intelligence Guides Future

R

+T Asia, which serves the roller shutter, door/gate, and sun protection industry, will be held in Shanghai from 27 Feb. to 1 Mar, 2019 under the theme “Green Embraces Comfort, Intelligence Guides Future”.

The event attracts more than 500 exhibitors and 35,000 visitors from 92 countries to six exhibition halls covering 60,000+ square meters. The global market for green building materials is expected to reach US377 billion by 2022 with the Asia Pacific market making significant green advances in both volume and technology.

Doors, shutters, and sun protection products, the primary focus of R+T Asia, all have an environmental impact on buildings and the quality of life. Sun protection products, however, provide a major impact on environmental efficiency.

At R+T Asia 2019, the exhibiting area for sun protection products is expanding by more than 30 per cent, due to the inclusion of such exhibitors as Vertilux, Kirayteks, Forest, Recasens, Oba Perdesan, Dongwon Industry, and Daekyeong. Additionally the doors and gates exhibition area will expand by 20 per cent because of exhibitors such as ASSA ABLOY, Doorhan, KOPRON, Cedes, and RP Technik.

Visitor Attendance Booming In 2019, R+T Asia is expected to welcome 35,000+ professional visitors. With the support of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an increasing number of countries are seeking new opportunities and cooperation with Chinese business. Building on this growth, the R+T Asia Hosted Buyer program is actively organising delegations to visit the show from both emerging markets and mature markets such as Europe, North America and Australia.

InnovAction Awards Highlight Innovative Products The show’s InnovAction Hub 2019 is expected to attract new global innovations in doors and gates from leading exhibitors and from up-and-coming companies. In 2019, the 7th InnovAction Awards will showcase new and innovative products, which will be judged by a jury of domestic and overseas experts. This will culminate in the awarding of the ‘Best of Best’ title, along with full media exposure online and offline.

Online Pre-Registration Officially Launched!

Online pre-registration is now open, providing a free entry ticket that allows holders to avoid the long onsite queue: preregistrants also receive first-hand and updated information about the show. By scanning the QR code below, the pre-registration process can be completed in less than two minutes.

For more information about exhibiting or attending R+T Asia 2019, please visit www.rtasia.org/en.

For media contact, please feel free to contact Ms. Cassie.

T: +86 21 61953587 E: cassie.xu@vnuexhibitions.com.cn

14 GREEN

BEAM PLUS CERTIFICATION CEREMONY 2018 Make Buildings Greener for the Sustainable Built Environment in Hong Kong

Co-organised by the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) and BEAM Society Limited (BSL), the BEAM Plus Certification Ceremony 2018 was successfully held on 13 December. Mr Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment and Mr LIU Chun-san, JP, Under Secretary for Development, Government of the HKSAR, were invited as the officiating guests of the ceremony. Other honourable guests included Mr CHAN Ka-kui, SBS, JP, Chairman of Construction Industry Council and Mr SO Kai-ming, Chairperson of BSL. All guests presented a record breaking number of nearly 50 certifications to the BEAM Plus Platinum, Excellent and Gold building project teams.

This year there were a significant number of existing buildings certified under BEAM Plus Existing Buildings V2.0, one of the four BEAM Plus assessment tools that offers Comprehensive and Selective Scheme to cater for different ages and conditions of the buildings. Most of them achieved the highest rating – Final Platinum rating for Comprehensive Scheme and Excellent grade in different assessment aspects for Selective Scheme. Such great achievement demonstrated facility management’s dedication to creating a green and healthy environment for the building users, taking a major stride towards greening the existing building stock in Hong Kong.

Certification Body

Assessment Body

Another highlight at the ceremony was that, the first project assessed under BEAM Plus Neighbourhood V1.0 was granted a Platinum rating. With a holistic approach to assessing sustainability performance of a development project at the masterplanning stage, BEAM Plus Neighbourhood assessment concerns the design of spaces between buildings, and embraces socio-economic elements in the developments. The certified Platinum project will become a good neighbour, bringing positive impact to its own occupants as well as the surroundings.

Assessed by BEAM Society Limited and certified by the Hong Kong Green Building Council, BEAM Plus consists of 4 assessment tools, namely New Buildings, Existing Buildings, Interiors, and Neighbourhood, that evaluate the sustainability performance of built environment across different stages of the building life cycle. For the sake of the sustainable built environment in Hong Kong, the HKGBC and BSL are continuously working on the updates of assessment criteria, where the upgraded Version 2.0 of BEAM Plus New Buildings is targeted to be launched in 2019.

15

Visit BEAM Plus Online Exhibition to know more about the BEAM Plus projects

CERTIFIED BEAM PLUS PLATINUM / EXCELLENT / GOLD PROJECTS

BEAM Plus Neighourhood

http://greenbuilding.hkgbc.org.hk/

BEAM Plus Existing Buildings V2.0 Comprehensive Scheme

BEAM Plus New Buildings

BEAM Plus Existing Buildings V2.0 Selective Scheme

Legend • Platinum / Final Platinum rating • Provisional Platinum rating • Gold / Final Gold rating • Excellent grade

BEAM Plus Interiors

16 PRODUCT & TECH

N

o one would disagree that fresh water is a scarce resource around the world. Over recent decades, the cost of water has surged and the problem is exacerbated in commercial environments. “At home, a tap in the bathroom may be used 10 times a day while in a commercial building, each tap in the washrooms may be used 1000 times daily,” states DELABIE Sales Director Asia, Sébastien Jeux. “This makes water saving of critical importance in public environments and the solution can begin with intelligent use of technology.”

DELABIE, European specialists in commercial water controls with 90 years’ experience, develops innovative solutions for public washrooms.

Green is the future “Saving water in commercial environments can be achieved in two ways; minimizing waste and reducing consumption,” Jeux says. “The most effective and efficient way to start water saving is in everyday activities: reducing the flowrate on the tap, avoiding leaks in toilets, using recyclable materials such as brass and stainless steel - you name it, these are the obvious and traditional means for water saving. “Here at DELABIE we are convinced that innovation matters!”

“More and more commercial buildings contain showers, such as in gyms in order to boost their users’ experience and convenience, resulting in huge water consumption. In addition, according to The Centre for Water Information based in France, it estimates that a leaking toilet can waste up to 220m³ per year,” Jeux continues. “Preventing waste is as important as minimising consumption in commercial applications. As many little drops make an ocean, water saving becomes extremely important in public and commercial buildings.”

In order to achieve a range of global goals, including addressing climate change, creating sustainable and thriving communities, green architecture is effective and efficient. The evidence that green architecture brings multiple benefits is growing.

Importantly, going green not only saves natural resources, but also the owners’ money by reducing energy and maintenance costs, reducing unnecessary expenditure.

With green architectures movement has been swept across the world and growing understanding of green construction, innovative technologies are being developed to keep pace with increasing shift towards sustainability and shaping the sustainable design.

Recycling grey water to save fresh water Interestingly, while most urinals and toilets are flushed with sea water in Hong Kong, this remains an exception on the planet. However, it may soon change.

“Flushing toilets with potable water is considered to be absurd nowadays. The next generation of green buildings will recycle grey water or use sea water to flush the urinals and the toilets,” Jeux notes.

Architects are in need of innovative equipment to make this move and DELABIE has just launched a number of solutions to make this possible. “DELABIE has designed a range of urinal and toilet valves which are compatible with grey water and sea water. Since in commercial buildings, more than half the water consumption is used for flushing the toilets and urinals, a lot of fresh water could be saved, not only in Hong Kong, but in any building in the world.”

Intelligent technology achieves high water-efficiency Saving water used by urinals is always a good idea, but it must be well-balanced.

DELABIE explains that if the urinal is not correctly rinsed, unpleasant odours and hygiene become a great concern while the pipe sewage quickly gets blocked with urine crystallization. However, technology can help to limit waste without compromise.

This is why DELABIE recently developed its TEMPOMATIC 4 urinal valve, a highly water-efficient solution which has been awarded Winner at the German Design Awards competition in 2018. This intelligent urinal valve can detect high-frequency periods and adapt its rinse accordingly. During peak hours, only the urinal bowl is rinsed between two users.After the busy period, an additional rinse occurs to clean the bowl completely and renew the water in the trap.

The TEMPOMATIC 4 urinal valve offers 3 programmes according to the urinal type, each with an optional hygienic duty flush. DELABIE stresses that the duty flush can be programmed after the last use to flush the pipework and prevent the crystallization of uric acid, water stagnation and back flow due to system vacuums.

Besides, not only potable water can be saved as TEMPOMATIC 4 urinal valve is fully compatible with sea water and grey water as well. As a result, this is more efficient and less wasteful.

Direct flush innovation The watertight seals in the mechanism of cistern flushing systems are very sensitive to the accumulation of scale and impurities. This issue especially arrives promptly when using sea water or grey water. Jeux warns:“The cistern technology is a source of leaks which are not always noticed because they are inaudible and not easy to see. Because facility management teams usually do not have the time to regularly clean the cisterns, the amount of wasted water is colossal.”

Designed for the commercial use, DELABIE has introduced direct flush technology, TEMPOFLUX 3 WC, which not only reduces waste and saves water, but also improves hygiene. “The mechanism harnesses the system’s dynamic pressure to provide a powerful rinse.The flush is instantly available so there is no cistern refill time and no opportunity for water to stagnate,” says Jeux.

TEMPOFLUX 3 is comprised of a robust mechanism so that it can withstand intensive use in commercial toilets.

Importantly, successive flushes are available instantly so users do not have to wait should they need to flush a second time.This contributes to reduce the waiting queue in the busy washrooms.

Thanks to its dual flush function with flush volumes which can be adjusted down to a minimum of 2/4 litres per flush, TEMPOFLUX 3 sets a new benchmark for green toilets.

Regulated flow rates for showers Generally domestic showers focus on comfort but often neglect water efficiency.

Installed in intensive use environments where users may not be very conscientious and fastidious, the water and energy consumption on such showers is massive.

DELABIE overcomes this problem by featuring a round shower head with venturieffect spray. The flow rate is pre-set at 6 litres per minute regardless of system pressure, and the spray pattern provides maximum coverage.

This standard meets Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS)’s highest environmental performance standards, Grade 1. Jeux explains: “If less hot water is used, less energy is required to heat it and the system design can reflect this.”

DELABIE’s TEMPOMIX 3 Time Flow Mixer equips hydraulic timing which closes automatically after 30 seconds to prevent unnecessary waste when the user soaps and to ensure the valve is off when the user leaves. By splitting showering time into wetting, soaping and rinsing, up to 80% water savings can be achieved compared to domestic showers. It is good news for the planet and for the owner’s money.

“Just based on the water and energy savings, the return on investment on DELABIE time-delay showers is achieved in a matter of a few months,” Jeux adds.

While DELABIE keeps a fast pace with 100 new products launched each year, its research and development team based in their French headquarters, continues to develop the next generations of public and commercial washrooms solutions.

Sébastien Jeux concludes: “Our taste for challenges and innovations is in the company culture. When developing new solutions, we aim at bringing together a pleasing aesthetic, long durability designed for intensive use environments and the smart use of technology to increase sustainability and go greener.”

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www.delabie.com

18 AWARDS

MIPIM Asia imagines the world in 2030 The Summit How do you imagine the world in 2030? How will we be living? For real estate professionals, investments made today determine the markets of tomorrow. The real estate sector has a role to play in this demographic change: how to make cities smart, durable and liveable?

These are the issues up to 900 delegates were invited to consider as they joined the discussion at one of the region’s leading property summits, held in Hong Kong on 27 and 28 November, under the future-facing theme of “Invest in a better tomorrow”. Playing the joint roles of property expo, industry conference and networking summit, MIPIM Asia is a regional spin-off of the annual MIPIM summit, hosted in Cannes every March.

MIPIM Asia’s experts debated the real estate sector of today and envisioned that of tomorrow as the summit offer a glimpse into the homes and cities of the future.

The conference agenda presented real estate professionals with valuable insights into hot topics including smart cities, sustainability and the blooming proptech boom – as well as exploring retail trends and the ever-growing investment opportunities presented across the world’s most populous continent.

“I’m thrilled to cap an incredible and innovative year with our trademark event celebrating the world’s most dynamic continent – MIPIM Asia,” said Ronan Vaspart, MIPIM director. “Cities across Asia are consistently ranked among the fastest growing in the world, and Asia is expected to hold its status as the fastest developing continent until at least 2030 – the year we’re asking professionals to imagine at MIPIM Asia in November.”

The Awards The Asia-Pacific’s most ambitious, innovative and revelatory real estate projects were conferred the status of winners of the MIPIM Asia Awards 2018 – a renowned regional property awards show, in which 30 property developments were recognised out of 122 entries from seven different countries and territories.

François Trausch - President of the jury, MIPIM Asia Awards

The winning entrants were selected in one of ten different trophy categories, with each category’s three winners awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze honours. Following a public vote, the final ranked victors were announced at the MIPIM Asia Awards Gala. The judging panel of 19 industry experts was chaired by jury head François Trausch, Chairman of the Management Board, Executive Committee and CEO of Allianz Real Estate.

“The quality of submissions, already high in the past, gets better every year,” said Trausch. “This is especially true of entries from China where we’ve had really outstanding projects in all categories. In addition, this year we had some very creative and strong submissions from Japan – more than in previous years – and we continue to have good and creative entries from South Korea. Finally, while many of the projects are very often at the conceptual planning stage, we see that a lot of these megaprojects get built and are now operational, and often these plans become very successful projects,” he concluded Vaspart added: “Winning a MIPIM Asia Award is established as one of the most prestigious prizes for real estate projects across the APAC region. We celebrate the developers, architects, government authorities and other property visionaries who push the boundaries, break the rules, and make unimaginable possibilities the solid realities of our skylines,” he added.

Special Jury Award - Wellcare Garden Fukasawa

Founded in 2007, the annual MIPIM Asia Awards celebrate the most technically impressive, inventive and publically-enriching property developments from across the APAC region, considering both finished developments and un-built projects in the planning stage.

A spin-off of the world-renowned MIPIM property summit hosted in Cannes every March, MIPIM Asia has established itself as a leading industry conference and networking summit for top-level professionals across the real estate industry in the APAC region.

More information at www.mipim-asia.com.

Information: MIPIM Asia Photos: S. D'HALLOY - Image & Co

Krista Chan Keynote speaker: Ed Parsons (Google)

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Tencent-Corporate-Headquarters

Keynote speaker: Ronnie C. Chan (Hang Lung Properties Ltd)

20 AWARDS

MIPIM ASIA AWARDS 2018 WINNERS SPECIAL JURY AWARD Wellcare Garden Fukasawa Tokyo, Japan

Architect: Nikken Housing System Ltd Developer: The Sankei Building Co., Ltd.

BEST HOTEL & TOURISM DEVELOPMENT Naked Castle

Moganshan, Zhejiang Province, China Architect: naked Design Studio Developer: naked Group

The Murray, Hong Kong a Niccolo Hotel

Hong Kong SAR, China Architect: Foster + Partners, Wong & Ouyang (HK) Limited Developer: Wharf Real Estate Investment Company Limited

Conrad Osaka (Nakanoshima Festival Tower West) Osaka, Japan Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd Developer: The Asahi Shimbun, Takenaka Corporation

BEST OFFICE & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

BEST URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT

Tencent Corporate Headquarters

798 Arts District

Sunshine Financial City

Barangaroo South

Shenzhen, China Architect: NBBJ, TJAD Developer: Tencent Technology Company Limited Beijing, China Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd, China Architecture & Research Group Developer: Sunshine Insurance Group

Chengdu Luxelake Headquarter Park

Chengdu, China Architect: Shanghai JWDA Architects Co., Ltd. Developer: Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group Co., Ltd

BEST REFURBISHED BUILDING Sfactory

Seoul, South Korea Architect: FRCH Developer: Ho Kyu Lee

Laura

BEST INNOVATIVE GREEN BUILDING

Shanghai, China Architect: Jiangsu Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. Developer: KaiLong Group

Marina One Singapore

The Mills

Singapore Architect: ingenhoven architects, Architects 61 Pte. Ltd., Singapore (Architect of Record) Developer: Mapletree Management Pte. Ltd., Singapore (Project Manager)

Menara ASTRA

Barangaroo South

Sydney, Australia Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (International Towers Sydney and masterplan), Lendlease Design, FJMT (Anadara apartments), PTW (Alexander apartments), Tzannes (International House Sydney), Tony Caro, Collins & Turner and Durbach Block Jaggers Developer: Lendlease

SND Cultural & Sports Center

Suzhou, China Architect: Tianhua Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd. Developer: Suzhou New District Cultural & Sports Development Co., Ltd.

BEST CHINESE FUTURA PROJECT Zhuhai Hong Qi Sugar Factory Masterplan Zhuhai, China Architect: Woods Bagot Developer: Zhuhai Sugar Factory Tourism Development Limited

Gala Avenue - Westside

Shanghai Hongkou Stadium and Surrounding Area Urban Design

The Scotts Tower

Shanghai, China Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd Developer: Shanghai Greenland Group Co., Ltd.

Hong Kong SAR, China Architect: Farrells Developer: MTR Corporation

BEST RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Suzhou, China Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP Developer: Roche Diagnostics

Shanghai Greenland Center / Greenland Being Funny

Kennedy Town regeneration

Shanghai, China Architect: Benoy Developer: CITIC Limited, China State Shipbuilding Corporation

Wellcare Garden Fukasawa

BEST MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

Sydney, Australia Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (International Towers Sydney and masterplan), Lendlease Design, FJMT (Anadara apartments), PTW (Alexander apartments), Tzannes (International House Sydney), Tony Caro, Collins & Turner and Durbach Block Jaggers Developer: Lendlease

Hong Kong SAR, China Architect: Nan Fung Development Ltd Developer: Nan Fung Development Ltd

Jakarta, Indonesia Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd Developer: Astra International

Roche Diagnostics (Suzhou) Ltd.

Beijing, China Architect: SASAKI Developer: Urbis Development, SevenStar Group

Tokyo, Japan Architect: Nikken Housing System Ltd Developer: The Sankei Building Co., Ltd. Singapore Architect: UNStudio (Amsterdam), Ong&Ong (Singapore) Developer: Far East Organization

The Beacon

Hong Kong SAR, China Architect: Aedas

BEST RETAIL DEVELOPMENT Landmark Riverside Park – Phase II: Danzishi Old Street Chongqing, China Architect: LWK & Partners Developer: Hongkong Land, China Merchants Shekou Holdings

HIRAKATA T-SITE

Shanghai, China Architect: SASAKI Developer: Shanghai Hongkou District Land Resource & Planning Bureau

BEST CHINESE FUTURA MEGA PROJECT CITIC Tower

Beijing, China Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Developer: CITIC Heye Investment

Alibaba Xixi Campus Phase 4 Hangzhou, China Architect: NBBJ Developer: Alibaba Group

Greentown Yiwu Peach Blossom Spring Project Jinhua, China

Architect: Hangzhou 9M Architectural Design Co., Ltd Developer:Yiwu Greentown CCCC Real Estate Development Co., Ltd

Hirakata, Japan Architect: Takenaka Corporation Developer: SO-TWO. INC

WF Central

Beijing, China Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Developer: Hongkong Land

www.mipim-asia.com

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CITIC TOWER

Marina One Singapore

Naked Castle

Landmark Riverside Park Phase II: Danzishi Old Street

Marina One Singapore

798 Arts District

Tencent-Corporate-Headquarters

Shanghai-Greenland-Center-Greenland-Being-Funny

22 INVESTMENT

Island Time, All The Time

Get out of your suit and into a sulu: an idyllic South Seas island home is yours when buying into Fiji’s Wavi Island “Tropical paradise” is the sort of phrase that salesmen use habitually, no matter if their product is bleak or beautiful. Take a look at Fiji’s Wavi Island and you know instantly that the reality lives up to the dream.

On the southern side of Fiji’s biggest northern island, called Vanua Levu, Wavi is 11 hectares of splendid isolation. A 450-metre long causeway connects the island to the mainland. A modern day drawbridge separates the island from the everyday without the bother of transfers by boat. But once you’re back on Vanua Levu, Savusavu Airport is just a few minutes’ drive – itself one hour by air from the recently improved Nadi International Airport and connections to the world.

Hong Kong is a 10-hour flight to the west.

Wavi was set up to become a collection of privately owned luxury villas with shared common areas that included resort facilities. The current owner is looking to move on to other projects and is seeking a party with a fresh outlook to take his project to the next level. This is a a unique island in the Koro Sea and a special opportunity for anyone that can appreciate the beauty in island life.

New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty (NZSIR) has been instructed to sell the entire island as a development opportunity. The Lots tend to face to the

Text: Michael Hoare

Images: NZSIR

Derek Leung

east – radiating out from a central hill – but there is a good selection of westerly situated land that catches the sunsets. To the south is the marina and a handful of more compact Lots.

Blue view On Lot 6 you’ll find an architect designed luxury villa complex that was completed as a display home for the development. This parcel of land projects upwards to a cliff at the point of a peninsula, where the views are to the east and the remainder of the island is at your back.

The villa is a generously proportioned three bedroom home that mimics the visual appeal of the bure – the Fijian-style standalone wood-and-straw hut.

The collection of bure-inspired pavilions rings a kidney shaped horizon pool.

A gazebo and pavilions are scattered around the communal pool deck, offering sea and mountain views, but the best blue views are found from a cantilevered day bed that projects from the spacious master bedroom suite. The easterly orientation means uninterrupted sea views, mountain glimpses and dappled morning light.

The interior is move-in ready. The high ceilings and open feature walls bring the dramatic views into the home, and the space flows elegantly from one living area to the next. The modern finish of the home utilises local woods in the trim around the cabinetry and in the louvers used to moderate the elements.

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Private Island for Sale

Island life The Wavi lifestyle promises creature comforts among the palm groves and towering merbau trees. Guests and residents to the island are greeted at an arrival pavilion and lounge area. The pool and its secluded beach lie next to the fitness centre and tennis courts. This well laid-out recreation zone is surrounded by decking and gardens, and a landscaped ornamental lake is positioned nearby.

This entry statement is capped by a beach that faces across the lagoon to the big island. Resort-style facilities incorporate washrooms and showers, the pool bar and kitchen.

The final developed lot, in the middle of the island is Lot 22. It houses an office, managers’ residence, car park and work shed. Speaking of work, the build out of the island’s infrastructure has been undertaken, leaving a permanent water supply and connection to the Fiji power network. A generator supplies ancillary power.

A marina projects out from the island’s most southerly point.

New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty is seeking expressions of interest for Wavi, for those who are looking for their own private paradise or for a developer eager to realise the still-current plans to complete a full tropical resort. The vendor is offering generous financial terms to the right party. It may be the last chance you’ll have to purchase a piece of Pacific paradise.

24 INVESTMENT

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ

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For further information please contact Chester Rendell m +64 21 964 873 | t +64 9 407 1010 chester.rendell@nzsir.com

www.nzsothebysrealty.com/qbs11882

26 FEATURE

The "PLACE" with Luxurious

Italian Kitchens Text: Bryan Chan

J

Photos: DUKES PLACE, Minotticucine, ROF Media

ointly developed by Couture Homes Properties Limited, Grosvenor Asia Pacific and Asia Standard International Group Limited, DUKES PLACE is a new luxury development located in one of Hong Kong’s most prestigious residential areas. Located at Jardine’s Lookout, home to numerous luxury detached houses and low-density apartment buildings, the development sits serenely above Happy Valley and Mid-Levels and offers a sweeping view of the city. Located at 47 Perkins Road, DUKES PLACE consists of 16 spacious apartments with different layouts, with saleable areas ranging from around 260 to over 630 square metres, offering an incomparable level of space and a sense of exclusivity in Hong Kong.

Inspired by the green mountain landscape of the project’s location, metallic lines run through the exterior to echo the natural hilly contours and to highlight the integration of people and nature. For Hoggard, the lines also marry design and function, with curvatures and natural lighting designed to match the various functions of the indoor spaces. Living rooms with large windows and thin exterior lines are set in contrast to smaller windows and thicker exterior lines in the spaces such as bedrooms where a larger degree of privacy is preferred. As another example of the project’s exquisite craftsmanship the sides of the building are rounded to complement a curved exterior wall, which lends a smoother and softer silhouette to the development and more elegance to its overall design.

For Jimmy Fong, Managing Director of Couture Homes Properties it offers noteworthy investment potential in a location that is on a par with properties in other traditional high-end districts such as The Peak and Hong Kong Island’s Southern district.

Kitchens to impress

In an official invitation-only naming ceremony held two months ago in London, Fong explained that the project’s Chinese name is made up of two characters, which not only refer to the residences of royals and a sense of honour and eminent lineage, but also reflect the development’s embodiment of the pinnacle of luxury living.

World-class design David Hoggard of award-winning British architects PDP London, noted the development’s modern design style, notably in the adoption of the building’s exterior walls, which combine premium Italian stone and a glass curtain wall adorned with champagne metallic lines. The architects also worked alongside a team of notable designers from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan and Hong Kong to inject further fine design elements into the project.

Arguably one of the most outstanding features of the apartments at DUKES PLACE is the use of Italian kitchen brand minotticucine, which whilst rare in Hong Kong, offers a taste of European low-key luxury and modern European interior design. Introduced by Hong Kong’s own COLOURLIVING, a sought after interior décor and houseware company which boasts a 3-storey 1,800 square metre showroom in Wanchai popular with designers, the 70 year old brand is known for the superior workmanship and materials used in its artisan kitchens.

With its tagline of “Visual Silence” minotticucine’s design philosophy is one that focuses on creating a harmonious, minimalist ambience. Its kitchen cabinet series is designed to be consistent and complementary, combining a variety of textures, materials and colours to attain a clean and natural style. Having pioneered the Pocket Door System in 1998, the brand remains at the forefront of furniture design innovation.

Indeed, for brand art director Alberto Minotti, each individual kitchen is designed to minimise fixtures in the cabinets to achieve a streamlined appearance which is visually calm and ensures the focus remains on the people using the kitchens.

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From left to right: Alberto Minotti, Art Director, minotticucine; Jimmy Fong, Managing Director, Couture Homes Properties; Denise Lau, CEO, COLOURLIVING and William Wayne Lau, Executive Director, COLOURLIVING

DUKES PLACE

The minimalist design of minotticucine, combined with natural materials such as stone, wood or metal, extends to the use of handles, skirting, faucets and other ostentatious details typical of more traditional design. The use of colour and materials meanwhile is designed to be rigorous, durable and uncompromising, resulting in a modern down-to-earth effect that seamlessly complements the project’s contemporary design.

Outstanding quality Marble materials occupy an important position in minotticucine’s kitchen cabinets, with stone supplied by word-leading stonemasons Antolini, which has been located in Verona in northern Italy for more than 50 years.

As Minotti points out, designers and architects from all over the world come to select the stone in person. This was also the case for DUKES PLACE, where all the kitchen cabinets were handcrafted using rare natural stones and expert Italian craftsmanship. For the residents of DUKES PLACE minotticucine delivers not only the very best in premium kitchen furniture, but also the sophistication of Italian living.

For COLOURLIVING’s CEO Denise Lau minotticucine was the perfect choice of design for DUKES PLACE. Having been introduced to the brand on a visit to London she feels that its unique style will be appreciated by Hong Kong’s highend luxury market, and will allow the residents of DUKES PLACE maximise the luxury of space to reflect their lifestyle and personal taste.

Lau said: “The minotticucine kitchen cabinet series can create avant-garde and harmonious simple kitchen style through different materials, texture and colours.

Cooking island cabinets can be pulled out as a dining table, and the table can be easily pushed back just above the cooking island and used to completely cover

all the equipment in the cooking islands when not in use, perfectly hiding the sink and cooking utensils under the table. This unique design is also enhanced by its extraordinary craftsmanship, and has been made even more coveted by many international celebrities.”

COLOURLIVING’s parent company The B.S.C. Group was founded in 1970.

From a business providing home building materials, it has expanded to the current interior design and decoration engineering services for large luxury apartment and five-star hotels.

Lau adds: “We are a one-stop shop for our clients, providing interior design and renovation solutions, and weaving a luxurious and tasteful lifestyle for them.”

She also revealed that COLOURLIVING has begun to work with local and international artists and is working on a new business model to select art pieces for clients. She emphasises that it remain’s the company’s mission to provide clients with the everything they need to enhance their living space in accordance with their lifestyle.

28 FEATURE

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Alberto Minotti, Art Director, minotticucine

Left to right: Jimmy Fong, Managing Director, Couture Homes Properties and David Hoggard, PDP London

Craftsman demonstration, minotticucine factory in Verona, Italy

30 FEATURE

Antolini Stone factory in Verona, Italy

Denise Lau, CEO, COLOURLIVING

minotticucine London showroom

32 FEATURE

BUROHAPPOLD ENGINEERING

REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO ASIA Text: Elizabeth Dooley

Project Images: BuroHappold

Management Photos: ROF Media

Derek Leung

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Museum of the Future, Dubai, UAE

34 FEATURE

I

n an exclusive interview with PRC Magazine, BuroHappold Engineering’s new Managing Director in Asia, Richard Marshall, said there’s never been a more exciting time to be working in the region. Asserting his vision for the company’s growth in Asia, Marshall - who joined the company in 1997 as a senior engineer at Burohappold’s Kuala Lumpur office – took the helm last month, after 17 years in the Middle East.

With established offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Jakarta and Mumbai, and the opening of a new office expected early next year in Shenzhen, Marshall leads a team currently working on a number of high profile iconic projects, including the spectacular Jewel at Singapore’s Changi Airport due to open in March 2019, the Xiqu Chinese Opera House, the XRL West Kowloon Terminal and the Morpheus Tower in Macau. The company has also been working with the Indonesian government on a consulting basis and have in place various master planning contracts for high-rise projects throughout Malaysia and the Philippines.

Further projects underway include the largest mixed-use development in Bangkok, and a corporate headquarters in South Korea.

“With China being the second largest construction market in the world and due to overtake the US to become the largest Asia is quickly being recognised as the fastest growing region in the world. We know that we want to be part of Asia’s growth in the coming decade and a large part of our vision for the future is about growing our relevance globally through expanding our physical presence in Asia,” notes Marshall. “A lot of the work we are doing in Asia is a step beyond the traditional core engineering services we are well known for, as we move towards more consulting, master planning and specialist disciplinetype offerings such as façade engineering, economic consulting, as well as digital engineering and computational design and SMART cities. Our aspiration is to be a global business and strengthening our presence and influence in Asia is a key part of that vision,” he adds.

Over the past 20 years with BuroHappold, Marshall’s work has focused largely on the technical aspects of engineering. Other projects have utilised a different skillset, most notably perhaps his involvement in the Museum of the Future in Dubai, where he was responsible for leading a group of 26 different disciplines and 18 external sub-consultants including architects, interior designers and other specialists. He sees his new role as one of enabling the team in the company’s existing offices across the region to grow and expand, whilst remaining at the forefront of innovation and project design.

INNOVATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE-CENTRED OUTCOMES Known for its innovative approach from its beginnings as a boutique structural engineering consultancy doing complicated work in the world of tensile structures, Marshall points to BuroHappold’s position at the forefront of technology. Advances in digital and computational design have led to the company investing in and developing what has become known as BHOM (Building and Habitats Object Model), a platform he describes as a ‘computational collective’ or ‘global virtual team’ of experts and enthusiastic amateurs that provides a tool to allow a variety of computer programs used for modelling and analysis to exchange objects and data between them.

For Marshall, the Morpheus Tower in Macau is a complex exoskeleton project and a good example of how BuroHappold uses computational design to allow us to work with large amounts of data. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, famous for its complex geometry, Marshall describes the structure as looking like a normal building that has been burned in the middle using a welding torch and covered with a spider’s web of steel girders.

“For us as engineers it was a question of how we would design how the various elements would work together and the connections between them and how from a computational standpoint we could effectively come up with a fairly simple set of rules to apply and then use programs to come up with the individual solutions for each problem. Computational design allows us to approach a set of common problems by assigning a set of rules that in turn allows us to solve those problems much faster than working out the solution to each problem individually,” he explains. “Ultimately our goal is to focus on the human intellect, to create value for our clients by reducing the time spent on number crunching and to remain ahead of the pack in our use of technology and innovation,” he adds.

People-centred outcomes and data driven design are other key elements that have become intrinsic to BuroHappold’s global philosophy. It is an approach that goes beyond the traditional role of the engineer that ensures value to the client and ultimately to the end-user.

“As engineers we have determined that we can create methodologies to derive a better outcome through looking at data and analysing and using the results

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to drive us in a certain design direction. Our technology allows us to use the power of analysis and data driven design to look at 10,000 different options that humans could never do efficiently. It allows us to analyse the data to give us insights into how to design to achieve a better outcome rather than building something and seeing whether or not it works. Our ethos at BuroHappold has always been about linking science and society. We care about the cities we live and work in and how people interact with their environment. With the explosion of data, we are now in a position to turn that into information to drive design decisions and therefore place people at the centre of the equation,” notes Marshall. “For me it’s about using scientific rigour to analyse and improve the performance of our clients’ built assets by unlocking the opportunities that lie within.”

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES On the growth and development of China’s Greater Bay Area, Marshall is optimistic about the opportunities for the construction industry. It has, he says, the advantage of significant government-led investment within the proximity Hong Kong and Shenzhen – two of Asia’s most prominent financial centres.

And whilst he understands that given its boom or bust nature construction as an industry has lagged behind other industries in terms of productivity, he is confident of positive growth, despite concerns surrounding the possible effects of China’s trade war with the US. “The significant growth in the area seems to be stimulating a desire to rapidly change the way in which cities are developed and how they are lived in. The integration of technology into the building and city fabric and the way in which people interact with that technology is likely to be a key influence in how the cities actually grow. The use of technologies such as modular construction, coupled with digital design, SMART cities infrastructure, the Internet of Things, the use of robotic construction methods, 3-D printing and new materials, is certainly an exciting prospect,” comments Marshall. “I think that developers in China are becoming more sophisticated and that individual cities and clients creating buildings within them will be able to work with the industry to create places to work and live that are measurably better than what we currently have. The beauty of using a data-driven design method and the outcome-driven design approach we are advocating will certainly allow us and others in the industry to create better measures towards positive outcomes and their delivery.”

36 FEATURE

On the topic of sustainability Marshall points to the morphing out of something that in the past has been almost entirely focused around energy use into an intellectual framework for social sustainability and improvement. Indeed, for the consultancy as a whole, sustainability has changed from being a specialist offering to something embedded in every project. BuroHappold’s global track record of its contribution towards the development of sustainability codes and standards can be seen through its work with the government of the UAE. The company internationally has also been a key player in implementing the WELL Building Standard and Marshall is positive that we will continue to see this as a key part of the company’s focus in Asia.

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES Having worked in the region since 1986, BuroHappold is well known for landmark developments such as the TST Cultural Centre, which with its concrete clad cable tent roof structure was ground breaking for its time and remains a significant engineering achievement. Today, Marshall stands true to his belief that the company’s signature style is its ability to look at each opportunity to push the boundaries of technology and design. Citing more recent projects he sees the XRL West Kowloon Terminal as an enormously complex project that required the team to develop new ways to manage the amount of data that had in relation to the lack of simplification in the structure.

“The methods we used on XRL then gave us the opportunity to carry out the design of the connections for the Morpheus project in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to before. The Museum of the Future also incorporated elements of the approaches that came from projects in Asia, but also other elements of learning that came from projects in the UK and the US, such as the Mercedes Benz Stadium. Projects in the Middle East such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the King Abdullah Centre of Science and Technology were also truly ground-breaking in terms of multiple design facets and construction processes. The project also won a global award for the best of building information modelling or BIM and was by far the most complex project we have worked on even without considering the many other challenging aspects of it across all of the disciplines involved,” he explains.

Marshall’s enthusiasm and optimism for the region is unflagging. The common factor seems to be one of embracing challenging projects and seeing opportunities to bring learning on a global basis into each new project that results in a process of continuous development.

“We are witnessing another growth period for the region, not only in China, but also in terms of opportunities for countries such as Indonesia to transform the lives of their people by changing the way they interact with the physical world and allow them to play a bigger part in the wider world. For me, as an engineer and a designer, the idea of outcomedriven design has never been more relevant and comes out of what I see as our ultimate goal: to figure out what is important and to work out how to deliver it,” he concludes.

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MUSEUM OF THE FUTURE DUBAI, UAE

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ee the future, create the future. This phrase articulates the driving force behind every element of the Museum of the Future and represents our client’s aspiration to create the most beautiful, complex, and challenging exhibition venue in the world.

Occupying a prime location adjacent to the Emirates Towers, the Museum of the Future will be an expressive and dynamic landmark. The building symbolises both future progress and the regional design influence of Dubai with its use of modern materials, and Arabic poetry written by HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which is represented in 3D on the facade surface. The quotations express his vision for the future of Dubai. The museum is intended to be a catalyst for innovation, and a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.

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Richard Marshall

Morpheus, Macau

Image courtesy of Leigh & Orange

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King Power Mahanakhon, Bangkok,Thailand

King Power Mahanakhon, Bangkok,Thailand

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Above and below:The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port Passenger Clearance Building is designed by Aedas and RSHP

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XRL, West Kowloon Station

Management team from Left to Right: Henry Chan - Associate Director - Building Services Engineering; Kong Li - Group Director, Building Services Engineering; Emidio Piermarini - Asia Computational Projects Lead; Richard Marshall - Managing Director Asia, Partner; Byeonghee Yun - Associates Director – Facades;Wing So - Group Director – Structures; Peter Dampier - Director - Marketing and Relationships and Christoph Tritschler - Associates Director - Structure

Not Pictured: Nick Greenwood - Director, Partner, Project Principal, Asia and Deepak Chotwani - Director - Regional Finance and Operations

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he station is designed with 15 tracks below ground, nine long-half tracks and six shuttle tracks. When fully operational, it will be one of the largest and busiest underground train stations in the world. Serving as a new gateway to Mainland China, the new section of the 142km long Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong high-speed rail service, connects with the National High-speed Rail network all the way to Beijing. The project cuts journey times drastically over the 25,000km distance and reduces the emission of gas and pollutants.

Handling passengers through border controls this station is more akin to an airport than an underground train station. The design of the approximately 400,000 square metres of people-centric usable floor area, however, ensures that the flow of the passengers is a smooth as possible. The station, which is set on Victoria Harbour and sits adjacent to the future West Kowloon Cultural District, also has a strong civic element that provides the city with a new landmark.

Designed by Andrew Bromberg, Global Design Principal at Aedas, the station also includes over three hectares of ‘green plaza’. The outside ground plane bows down towards the entrance, whilst the roof structure above gestures towards the sky. The resulting space is a 45 metre high volume, whose energy and focus is directed towards the south façade, the Hong Kong Central skyline and Victoria Peak beyond.

Information and Photos: Aedas

Krista Chan

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Aligned with mature trees and shrubs, people are encouraged to walk up on to the station’s rooftop to enjoy the city’s latest views.

Seven footbridges and two pedestrian subways have been built to connect the station with the local transport network and nearby developments. The Hong Kong West Kowloon Station is just a few minutes’ walk from the MTR Tung Chung Line, Airport Express and West Rail Line. Travelling time from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to the major business areas in the city, like Central, takes less than 15 minutes. Commuters can also use other public transport modes such as franchised buses and minibuses, as well as coaches with pick-up and drop-offs either at the ground level of the station or at the newly built West Kowloon Station Bus Terminus north of the station.

With structural engineering by AECOM and Buro Happold, the interior of the hall features leaning steel columns supporting a giant floating roof and 4,000 glass panels that bring in natural daylight into the building and a glimse of the city even from the lower levels of the station.

Unusual for the vertical city of Hong Kong, Bromberg’s design of the station is ground-hugging. The architect was keen to bring on the sense of fluidity reflecting on the idea of various forces converging on a global city.

“I have been working on the Hong Kong West Kowloon station for nearly 10 years and I cannot wait to see it teeming with people.

The new station is an opportunity for all people to discover new connections to the city of Hong Kong and feel part of it,” comments Bromberg.

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Design and Water savings for public places

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SCHOTTEN & HANSEN SPREADS ITS WINGS IN NEW AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT

On this spread: Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar First Class and Business Class Lounge

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F

ollowing the successful opening of Holz Selection’s new showroom earlier this year in Hong Kong’s Wanchai’s district, the specialist timber retailer and distributor chose to highlight its range of Schotten & Hansen’s bespoke products.

One of the highlights of the modern and minimalist showroom, designed

by New Zealand architect Eqo Leung of Architecturepublic, is Schotten & Hansen ‘sound cube’, which pays homage to the luxury German brand’s values of heritage, craftsmanship, quality materials and attention to detail.

Framed in black and featuring a perfectly square LED light feature which can be set to various colour tones, this fully functioning acoustic cube is an integral feature of the showroom’s design. It also functions as a meeting room and a space to showcase Schotten & Hansen’s range of products, which includes their highly distinctive wooden flooring, high-quality parquet, custom interior designs and various bespoke items including staircases, doors, tables and acoustic panel applications.

“Schotten & Hansen’s products are made using natural hand-crafted timber, which is extremely popular in some of the most luxury residences around the world. Demand is growing is growing in Hong Kong and is becoming the obvious choice for residential properties at the mid to upper segment of the market,” notes Ewa Leung, owner and proprietor of Holz. “However, Schotten & Hansen’s timber is also being used in high traffic areas such as airports, hotels and commercial office spaces in Europe and the Middle East, for clients who are seeking a highly durable and luxury product,” she adds.

ACOUSTIC VISION Schotten & Hansen are renowned for their passion for the natural beauty of wood and their deep appreciation of working with the material. Indeed, the sound absorption characteristics of timber are well documented and the company has developed its range of acoustic-board products as an expression of this vision.

With up to 300,000 holes per square metre, the hole patterns of Schotten & Hansen’s Acoustic-Board products are highly effective and fine in appearance.

Consisting of B1-MDF board, a top/bottom step drilled hole of 12/8mm and a centre-to-centre grid of 16mm, the boards are manufactured with an acoustic fibrous web coating on the back and an oak veneer surface. With perforation MR 050250 V (or 0.05mm diameter), they are backfilled with mineral fibrous insulating boards of Akustic TP1, with a diametre of 40mm and an airspace of 50mm and 70mm cavity depth. Individual boards measure 2,500mm in length and 1,000mm in width, with a thickness of 17.2mm.

Text: Elizabeth Dooley

Photos: Holz Selections

Derek Leung

Schotten & Hansen’s acoustic boards, wood surfaces and prefabricated lements were used extensively in the 47 apartments located above the breathtaking Herzog and de Meuron designed Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, which officially opened its doors in January 2017. This award-winning project saw Schotten & Hansen construct over 1,000 prefabricated modules, which were delivered and assembled on site. The architects and Schotten & Hansen worked with star acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, to develop a unique wall and ceiling structure. Known as the “White Skin” it features 10,000 individually shaped gypsum fibre panels cut with millimetre precision to reflect and optimise sound and acoustics.

More recently Schotten & Hansen have worked with Italian architects Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel (ACPV) on the Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. The collaboration included the design of the first class, VIP and business lounge interiors, and the check-in and waiting areas for Qatar Airways. The project saw the company produce 15,000 square metres of floorboards, acoustic wall elements and 500 custom doors, from product development through to material selection and on-site delivery and completion.

For founder Torben Hansen, it was once again an opportunity to go the extra mile: “At Doha airport, we produced almost all of the interior elements in custom-made shapes and sizes. Fitting out the interior required precise and comprehensive project coordination. Our team laid out the raw materials and finished products – over 30,000 square metres of cut veneer in a 7,000 square metre space,” he explains. “The team were tasked with inspecting, sorting and approving every individual piece with the architects. Our team were able to bar code and prepare a comprehensive installation package on-site to ensure optimal and speedy assembly,” he adds.

BRINGING IDEAS TO LIFE For architect Antonio Citterio, using timber as a central feature in the design of Hamad International Airport was a welcome challenge: “Airports are transitory places, far from home. Wood surfaces lend warmth and cosiness to the spaces, creating a welcoming atmosphere for travellers.”

For Schotten & Hansen, it was a chance to show their commitment to a project that would allow them to display their attention to detail and focus on customer service.

“This is closely linked to our commitment to partnership, and our willingness to develop products that bring the ideas of architects and designers to life.

Working alongside them, we are able to open up completely new possibilities for architectural designs,” concludes Hansen.

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On this spread: Formdepot,Vienna, Austria Visionary living space and advanced materials

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Schotten & Hansen’s acoustic boards

Schotten & Hansen 's Showroom at Wanchai

HOLZ SELECTIONS LTD Exclusive Sales Partner of Schotten & Hansen Showroom: 220 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Phone: +852 2833 6069 Email: info@schotten-hansen.com.hk www.schotten-hansen.com

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Future Perfect C

rafting the right blend is the secret to successful mixed-use developments. The mainland Chinese conglomerate Fosun hopes to combine old and new, consistent and uneven, commercial and cultural on an epic scale at a restored industrial site in Xi’an.

Text: Michael Hoare Photos: Brian Zhang (ROF Media)

Krista Chan

The rough-hewn concrete of the Dahua 1935 development speaks to another era, one long since passed. This rehabilitated, mixed-use site on the edge of the ancient heart of Xi’an could be interpreted as another layer in the historic fabric of mainland China’s oldest capital city, but Dahua is about to become a celebration of the future – the development is on track to become one of China’s most important cultural destinations.

Dahua 1935 is the remaining infrastructure on the former site of the biggest cotton mill in Shaanxi province. This was first and foremost the former workplace of more than 3,000 staff during one of China’s first attempts at modern manufacturing in the early 20th century. After its ruin in 1939 during the second Sino-Japanese War – a conflict that was macabrely absorbed into the Second World War – the Dahua textile mill underwent several iterations before a 2014-revitalisation by the Land-based Rationalism Development Research Centre of the China Architecture Design and Research Group.

COMMON CULTURE One of the government’s experimental centres for design and research, the China Architecture Group took the 65,000-square-metre industrial site and refashioned it as a mixed-use programme with museum, theatre, hotel and retail elements.

The state-run design group sought to emphasise Dahua’s location, near the Daming Palace – the royal residence during the Tang Dynasty – in creating what it called a “culture park”.

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NEW DIRECTION With the development now in the hands of the Fosun Group – the conglomerate led by Guo Guangchang that, among other businesses, owns the Club Med resort network and the Folli Follie jewellery house – Dahua 1935 is doubling down on the retail and entertainment offering.

It has engaged Woods Bagot to craft an “entertainment destination with a strong retail offering”. The Australian architectural and consulting practice has until next year to complete the transformation of the 83-year-old historic textile mill into the mainland’s next retail and entertainment district.

“When it’s complete, Dahua 1935 will set the bar for retail-led historic renovation projects in China and create a world-class retail and entertainment destination for this vibrant city,” Woods Bagot principal Ian Png told the Arch Daily website earlier this year.

REGULAR REVAMP The Woods Bagot concept for Dahua 1935 is apparently based around the idea of “Line” which suggests the uniformity of fabrics and the machines that make them; the progressive evolution of the site and the people of Xi’an; and the regularity of the site’s grid layout.

The project seeks to revitalise the buildings, recognising the need to drive profit and also to inject value for consumers through the provision of experiences. The mass of the factory buildings will be further broken down into six themed spaces, called workshops.

The palace is a national heritage site that draws tourists by the score.

That presents both a lucrative commercial opportunity, but also a need to preserve the site’s more modern character.

EXPERIMENTAL OVERHAUL To link together the decades-old, saw-toothed, linear buildings, a strategy of “positive subtraction” saw the removal of the physical boundaries that isolated the site from the city, the buildings from each other and the spaces within each building.

And through a process of careful addition, architects injected smallscale elements in wood, steel and more concrete to break up the space.

The result was the foundation of a porous and public space in a wonderfully rich downtown environment. Within the long, straight factory buildings, streets and plazas have displaced ancillary rooms. The result is a connected pedestrian system that invites citizens to enter the culture park.

The project was led by Cui Kai, a leading figure in mainland architectural circles with dozens of commissions for civic buildings from the late 1980s onwards. He and his team claimed awards for the redevelopment, including a silver award in the Reuse and Adaptation, Renovation, Restoration, Regeneration category from Iranian magazine A2 in 2016.

The Dream Workshop is home to inspiration and creativity. Likewise, an amusement zone will feature entertainment from the dream-like Cirque du Soleil, of which Fosun chairman Guo has been a part owner since 2015.The market and power sections will sell fresh local produce and sportswear, with the final two areas used to promote education and the arts.

The new programme should see a retail offering supported by global and Chinese fashion brands, theatres, and new food and beverage offerings. An arts centre, museum and hotel will be highlighted by designed spaces. A new metro stop on Xi’an’s under-construction Line 4 subway will draw consumers to Dahua.

ART AND ACTIVITY The Woods Bagot design concept is meant to revitalise the site’s current retail offering, delivering a modern and creative environment that preserves the imperial and industrial past. “These historic buildings already have their own story to tell. We want to let them speak for themselves and then build on that story by writing the next chapter,” Png told Arch Daily.

Public art will be exhibited across the site, with exhibits of geometric works and sculpture attracting the community and tourists to a site that meshes the future with the ancient.

“Our design binds together old and new and turns conflict into dialogue, creating vitality from contrast. When it's complete, Dahua 1935 will set the bar for retail-led historic renovation projects in China and create a world-class retail and entertainment destination for this vibrant city.”

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BLENDING THE OLD AND NEW TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A COMMUNITY

Public Toilets

Text: Elizabeth Dooley

Photos: Alexander Wong Archectects

　 Richard Lee

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Glass Tea House

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nder the impact of modern urbanisation, the decline of China’s rural areas has become an unavoidable reality. Founded in 2016 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Mix Architecture, led founding partners Zhou Suning, Tang Tao and Wu Ziyue, provides a diversified architectural design research studio. Based in the Yangtze River Delta the practice provides composite design services and an international vision of architecture, planning, interior and landscape design to address the needs of this rapidly changing social reality.

Public Toilets

In 2017 Mix Architecture was commissioned by Jiangshan Fishing Village in Gaochun, Nanjing to formulate a rural renewal plan that would address the cultural needs of its indigenous people in a modern era. The first phase of the renewal plan consisted of two parts, with the main focus being on the renovation and transformation of vacant old homes and the construction of rural public facilities. The team at Mix Architecture set out to retain the external appearance of the old village houses whilst emphasising the importance of regional characteristics and cultural heritage.

With the implementation of disruptive functional replacement and spatial reconstruction, the conversion of one old house into a library became an important feature in the renewal plan. Within a gross built area of 385 square metres the central feature comes in the form of a bookcase wrapped in a patio and glass tea pavilion that faces out to the courtyard and provides a natural boundary between the interior and exterior. By introducing sunlight and nature into the dimly lit old houses, the vision was to create a centre piece for the village neighbourhood that would encourage communication and cultural blending.

Completed early in 2018, the development also consists of rural public health facilities and two public toilets located in the groves at the entrance of the village. Mix Architecture decided to use the most basic forms of architecture and construction to ensure a simple yet modern aesthetic using minimal capital and regional construction methods. The tactical spacing of the buildings allows for effective ventilation and natural lighting, which has been warmly welcomed by the villagers.

Glass Tea House

With the completion of the first phase of the development the community now has a central space for villagers to congregate and appreciate a new take on the functions of traditional old houses and new buildings. Originating from the archtitects’ view of the simplest life and cultural needs of the villagers, this lakeside village blends design and form with cultural and social significance. Mix Architects are at the forefront of a vision that we hope will encourage new developments away from the current ‘home-bust-style’ rural construction boom and become the beginning of a trend towards the renewal of expectations of rural revival in the practice of design.

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Library

Library Facade

View from bedroom Library lobby and skylight

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Backview of lobby and shelves Founders: Zhou Suning,Tang Tao and Wu Ziyue

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SCIENCE FICTION, GLOSSY REALITY A

themed cinema space takes patrons on interstellar journey of light and sound that far exceeds the price of admission.

At the time of its release in 2014, the Empire magazine review of Interstellar, starring spaceman Matthew McConaughey, called the feature film “brave, barmy and beautiful to behold”. No surprises that the future-focused, uber-creative Alexander Wong Architects should mimic that movie’s wormhole motif in a restroom in a Xinjiang cinema complex.

In a sequel to their 2014 work at Urumqi, northwestern China, for Sunway Movie Park, Alexander Wong recently launched STAR X. This futuristic-looking concept takes imagery from science-fiction movies and creates an extreme experience for movie-goers based around the theme Landing on Mars.

STAR STRUCK Woven into the interior design are ideas and imagery from some of the great science-fiction films. Beginning with Interstellar, there’s a striking neon blue portal at the entrance of the cosmic restrooms in LED lighting.

STAR X has liberal splashes of Star Wars storylines, with the Neon Sabre Ceiling and Sky-Walk Gallery central to the design. We’re told too, there are ideas inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, odes to String Theory constructed in Corian, the “Enterprise” cinema house pattern from the Star Trek series, and wayfinding details from the Alien film franchise.

Text: Michael Hoare

Photos: Alexander Wong Archectects

Richard Lee

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SPACE,TIME, FABRIC Completed just this year, STAR X cost US$2 million to build. There are eight cinemas in the complex that spans a little more than 3,200 square meters.

Alexander Wong tells PRC Magazine the floor plan was divided into narrow spaces, crimping the planning for grand lobbies and smooth circulation. Columns were “made to disappear” or integrated into the design.

The studio has integrated a set of luxury touches with otherwise far more mundane materials to create this otherworldly setting.

LIGHTS AND ACTION There are liberal amounts of LED lighting, moulded fibreglass, blackened glass, acrylic and acoustic panels.These near ubiquitous materials are interspersed with black marble, rose gold wire, stainless steel and reconstituted stone in turquoise blue.

“We have phenomenal lighting on this project,” says Wong. “It harks back to the obsession for neon lighting in the Hollywood films of the 1970s and 1980s, when a lot of the classic science-fiction movies were created. Neon is dated as a technology and we replaced it with LED lighting.” The result is an expression of what Wong calls “Future-Retro”.

“With what’s happening in America, I think the 1980s are very much back in style but this time with a new twist,” he says. “It the same too in today’s pop culture and fashion. The neon lighting, garish colours, bold shapes and clashing styles all come to mind.”

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