Grosvenor

Bean Buro has been appointed to design a new 5,000-square-feet workplace for the international British property group, Grosvenor in Hong Kong. The brief is to transform their previous workspace into a creative one with open plan, flexible seating and a variety of support spaces.

The narrative of the project was driven by the poetic interpretations of the history of the site and building Jardine House, and its historical tea trading activities in the neighbourhood, where circular forms were used in many oriental tea gardens as a symbol of tranquillity and nature. The project features a series of distinctive joinery elements, including circular acoustic panels in the open plan area, as well as round edging details of the tables in meeting rooms.

The ethos was oriented around people; hence the workplace is fully equipped with designs centred on human comfort for a more productive working environment. Employees could choose to work in a variety of spaces, such as the informal focus rooms, phone booths and pantry café. A ‘well-being room’ is provided for relaxation. Each space is designed with lighting control sensors for optimal lux level and light temperature. Acoustic solutions are inherent with the architectural finishes to create a dynamic open plan environment, while ensuring various meeting areas could achieve the required acoustic separations and absorptions to support a variety of private and open conversations. The visual lighting environment was designed with energy-saving systems, while creating a visually legible space in play with a cohesive materials palette.

To heighten the sense of community, a formal art gallery was designed at the reception that is open to all the employees and visitors.

The project ensured LEED and WELL criteria could be met to achieve an environmentally friendly and human-centric space for a productive office. It has officially been recognised for WELL Gold Level—one of the first office refurbishment projects in Asia to be recognised with such a rating. It is expected that the project will also imminently achieve LEED certification.

PROJECT DATA
Project Name: Grosvenor
Completion Date: August 2017
Gross Floor Area: 5,000 square feet
Client: Grosvenor Group
Architecture Firm: Bean Buro
Design Directors: Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui; Lorène Faure
Senior Architectural Designers: Elspeth Lee
Architectural Designers and Assistants: Michelle Ho, Gigi Kwong, Abby Liu, Pauline Paradis
Contractor: S&techs (Hong Kong) Limited
Images: Bean Buro