Annette Chu, Tommy Yeung, Willy Lam, Chloe Su

The project is a renovation to a 12 storey commercial building from 1980s in Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan, a residential community with many small local businesses. The design begins with the search for transparency and articulation in a chaotic urban setting. The material of rattan, a conventional and domestic material, is being explored to be the key material of the interior space.

The main façade articulates with randomised configuration of a modular glass curtain wall system to maximise exposure to daylighting. The materiality expresses the juxtaposition of contemporary and traditional elements through the tectonics of weaving. The façade reminisces the weaving language of rattan with metal mesh intertwining with the glass panels.

The design challenges the materiality of rattan, being perceived as a conventional and domestic material, by creating a contemporary interpretation with respect to its organic behaviour.