This landmark project redefined what a shared workplace amenity could be – transforming an overlooked transfer floor into an exclusive, multifunctional destination that seamlessly blends hospitality, business utility, and premium service.
Reimagining the Shared Office Amenity
What began as an open question – how to better utilise a vacant public floor – evolved into a new model for tenant-focused business amenities across HKRI Taikoo Hui’ commercial portfolio.
Through stakeholder engagement, workshops across Hong Kong and Shanghai, and immersive tenant interviews, we helped craft a strategic response to a complex brief: to create a new paradigm of shared space, built around tenant experience, operational viability, and brand alignment.
The Brief: Defining the Opportunity
With no initial design brief, led by Design Director, Doug Newkirk, a reverse brief was created to define the opportunity for this underutilised floor to serve as a vibrant business lounge, event space, and social hub. Our immersive design approach working closely with HKRI Taikoo Hui, The Executive Centre, a Michelin-starred F&B consultant, and local service operators, ensured a deeply considered, commercially aligned outcome.
Stakeholder Success, Seamlessly Integrated
The space needed to meet diverse goals. For the landlord, it was about creating long-term value while enhancing the overall tenant experience. For the space operator, it served as a premium extension of their executive offering, reinforcing their brand presence within the building. For the F&B partner, the design had to support a carefully calibrated footprint to ensure commercial viability. By placing these needs at the centre of the design process, the space was conceived not just to function, but to thrive.
Design Features & Experiences
A Club-Lounge Atmosphere
Anchored by an all-day F&B offering, the bar and lounge area serves as the social heart of the space, ideal for casual business conversations, client hosting, or breakout moments between meetings and events. The aesthetic evokes the comfort and exclusivity of a private members’ club.
Bespoke Meeting Rooms
Six uniquely themed meeting rooms combine advanced technology with rich storytelling. Drawing initial inspiration from the five Chinese elements, each room evolved into a symbolic character drawn from Greek mythology:
Each room offers a distinctive spatial and digital experience tailored to different types of interaction, from strategy sessions to client presentations.
FORUM
A highly adaptable event zone comprising three rooms with operable acoustic partitions. When opened, the space becomes a fully scalable venue for training sessions, presentations, or brand events. The sculptural ceiling, featuring clean, scalloped forms, required precise integration of services within minimal technical zones.
Prioritising Wellness
A modern interpretation of the workplace wellness room integrates hyperbaric oxygen capsules and programmable water-pressure massage beds, sourced from a local specialist provider. Reinforced STC 55-rated walls insulate the space acoustically, providing true refuge in a highly activated environment.
Overcoming Constraints, Delivering Opportunity
The design team maximised a sense of volume through a considered layering of mirrored surfaces, soft lighting coves, and visual connection to the surrounding cityscape.
The project spanned eight years, challenged by pandemic delays. Throughout, our team remained embedded and engaged, proactively steering the project from strategic vision to refined delivery. The result is not only a premium shared amenity but a benchmark for future-forward office experiences.
The Outcome: A New Paradigm in Shared Workplace Design
This is more than a space, it’s a strategic asset that elevates the office tower’s value, supports tenant wellbeing, and reflects a shift in how we think about shared amenity in the workplace. Through immersive design, stakeholder alignment, and creative problem-solving, the sky lobby has become a signature offering that sets a new standard for premium commercial developments.
