Muse Edition

The project sits alongside the Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. The existing 2-storey site was a historical godown terminal called Holt's Wharf from 1910 until 1971. The project aims at preserving the piece of memory that marks the city's success as mobility hub and renovating the place to a young fashion shopping arcade targeting the millennials.

Paying homage to old building methodology of over 100 years, the place is transformed into a caliginous atmosphered retail arcade with main structural elements retained and exposed. For example, the open ceiling without dressed up is exposed to allow seeing-through the concrete surface: a historical featured waffle ceiling is now embedded with 273 RGBCC LED panels, programmed to resemble the outdoor weather of sunshine and tempest during navigation on sea; rows of 22mm-thin copper conduits of a total length 600m are installed on passage ceiling, which are directional to offer a sense of industrial retro; four 7-metre columns are framed in glass, together with bare shells.

Intriguing sea navigation elements are also poured into the arcade to remind visitors its own history, with a touch of elegance to match the arcade's high-end positioning. For instance, instead of one of the many flooring choices, 1,800 genuine seashells are embedded on the concrete ground to form a subtle terrazzo floor; handblown ripple glass ceiling light retains an exact beacon shape of the lighthouse, casting soft shadows on the floor, creating aesthetic ripple effect; a symmetrical staircase with solid teak wood, brass handrail and elegant brass wires as balusters further extend the imagination to a deck resemblance.

From the past to present, the most glamorous landmark fleets and becomes part of the history; sometimes the most memorable design is to accumulate the value of place, not remove it, perhaps.