Building Renovation

Role: Design Team Leader @ RAD Ltd.
Location: Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Client: The Incorporated Owners of W Place
Year: 2007-2011
Status: Built
Size: 900sqm
Structural Consultants: Hon Wah Engineering Co., L&L Consulting Engineers Ltd, BC&S Design (Far East) Ltd
Lighting Consultants: Light Directions Ltd, Lift Consultants: Chun Ming Engineer Co. Ltd
Program: Retail, F&B

Shifting from being a mere shop plus office on Wyndham Street, the renovation of W Place consisted of a new 4 floors Italian restaurant plus lifestyle services on the upper levels.
We defined the windows with new sizes and locations, not only to dissolve the rigid column grids but to enable new relationships with the context.
The facade is made of 3 layers. The inner layer reacts to the interior space and provides access to the drain lines and electrical conduit. The middle layer provides support for the fixed frame glazing and a waterproof screen. The outer façade layer is a modular aluminum cladding—which is a complex texture based on four panels varying in size and depth.
The gaps on the façade are designed with lighting strips, enhancing both the wrapping & random effect.
A side lane is provided to engage fully with the urban context.