City Imprint


Horae Plaza, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong | status: on-going | type: commercial | team: Annette Chu, Tommy Yeung & Lou Yung

Past - Present - Future. The textures of a city are the vehicle of time, carrying the stories and histories of the places within it. The renovation of a local shopping mall in To Kwa Wan calls for a quest to uncover the area's identity and reconnect it with the local community.

Spatially, the design seamlessly integrates the street into the interior of the mall, forming a continuous loop. This relationship is further emphasized and represented by the "Big Light Rim" - a symbolic element that serves as a unifying feature of the space.

Material exploration plays an integral role in the project. Firstly, plastic - the site was previously home to a plastic factory in the 1970s, and now houses a lab that upcycles recycled plastic. This historical context informs the choice of material for the light rim. Additionally, as To Kwa Wan is an aging area facing potential redevelopment that could erase its history, the design introduces "city imprint." Clay is used to record the disappearing textures of the neighborhood, and these impressions are then stamped onto the new floor of the mall, serving as a subtle yet powerful reminder of the area's rich past woven into the present.

Through these spatial, material, and conceptual interventions, the project aims to foster a deeper connection between the shopping mall and the local community, allowing the past, present, and future to coexist and inform one another.

Cityimprint 01 copy
Cityimprint 02 copy
Cityimprint 03 copy
Cityimprint 04 copy
Cityimprint 05 copy

Past - Present - Future. The textures of a city are the vehicle of time, carrying the stories and histories of the places within it. The renovation of a local shopping mall in To Kwa Wan calls for a quest to uncover the area's identity and reconnect it with the local community.

Spatially, the design seamlessly integrates the street into the interior of the mall, forming a continuous loop. This relationship is further emphasized and represented by the "Big Light Rim" - a symbolic element that serves as a unifying feature of the space.

Material exploration plays an integral role in the project. Firstly, plastic - the site was previously home to a plastic factory in the 1970s, and now houses a lab that upcycles recycled plastic. This historical context informs the choice of material for the light rim. Additionally, as To Kwa Wan is an aging area facing potential redevelopment that could erase its history, the design introduces "city imprint." Clay is used to record the disappearing textures of the neighborhood, and these impressions are then stamped onto the new floor of the mall, serving as a subtle yet powerful reminder of the area's rich past woven into the present.

Through these spatial, material, and conceptual interventions, the project aims to foster a deeper connection between the shopping mall and the local community, allowing the past, present, and future to coexist and inform one another.

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