Woodhead has created a contemporary and energetic new façade design as part of the refurbishment of Stanley Plaza retail precinct on the south east peninsula of Hong Kong Island.
The existing retail shopping precinct is located amidst the picturesque Stanley Bay and comprises three distinctly different structures, the Shopping Centre, Murray House and Village Square.
Woodhead’s Sydney based design team, has worked with the client to develop a retail concept that seeks to update the ‘look and feel’ of the precinct, providing a sense of place suitable for high quality boutique retail stores, fresh food precinct and entertainment zones. The client brief was to adapt the Australian vernacular for a light translucent façade.
The revitalized design creates a softer edge between internal and external spaces, bringing trade into an intermediate zone, ideal for alfresco dining, meeting places and entertainment zones.
The current buildings comprise of a heavy concrete façade, this has been lifted and lightened, using warm timber elements and banner graphics to redefine the façade. The timber louvers shift in angle allowing variations between opacity and transparency, creating views in and out to the fantastic Stanley Bay.
Way finding, graphic signage and retail banner elements embellish the character of the façade, drawing customers into retail zones and leisure spaces.
The village square is transformed into a dynamic amphitheatre, surrounded by the retail offering, and features a children’s play area modelled on a “shipwreck / treasure island” theme, with a ship half submerged within the piazza floor. Typical children’s equipment is incorporated to create a conceptual, designed piece of public art.
