108 mr. Leung
- An arena of original creations and craftsmanship - came into mind when we received the design brief for a co-working office/workshop project created by a young entrepreneur company under a challenging construction timeline and resources. The start-up specialises in automation design and highly values the notion of ‘Made in Hong Kong’.
Finding the
way to this workshop is in a way experiencing the transformation of
our city: one walks through a mix of old and new development in the Tseun Wan industrial fabric, arriving to the aged
factory building housing this newly-budding workshop. Following the line of story, raw concrete, rusted black steel, stainless and galvanized metals are largely
employed in the project to set the elemental aura of the arena. We stripped off a
number of tiled column down to its original state, while preserving a major wall
surface anchored with a few aged, yet memorable signage to tell the story of transitions from one generation to another.
A touch of
brass highlights the signage and handle handcrafted by a local blacksmith at the entrance constructed by rusted black steel. Through the entrance portal, a cafe
accompanied by a heavy unit of black steel bench skifully-built by the same blacksmith welcomes the casual sitting and interactions of the users, at the same time, celebrates the
workmanship and delicacy of the hand-crafting era.
Spacious
office space remains as the focus of the project, with both flexible furniture
system and built-in long work desk developed according to the brief.
Another highlight is the workshop area which takes up almost 30% of the total
floor area, where we made a neat and well-lit atmosphere so an interesting
contrast will be created against the preserved backdrop.
