Architecture

V Point

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong  |  2017

Photography by Edmon Leong

 

2017  |  HKIA Merit Award

2017  |  Asia Pacific Property Award Five Stars Award

2017  |  A&D Trophy Award Certificate of Excellence 

2017  |  HKIA Cross Strait Award Nominated Award

2017  |  World Architecture Festival Finalist 

2018  |  iF Design Award


VPOINT is a new “Ginza” type retail high-rise tower in the heart of Causeway Bay; a major trendy retail district in Hong Kong. The 30-storey tower, designed as signature landmark tower within the urban fabric, takes inspiration from the shapes of crystals and gemstones. The unique curtain wall, with up to 1,980 numbers of different size glass panels, consists of a series of tilted triangular planes and like a cut gemstone, reflects the sunlight in different angles to give the form and façade a kaleidoscopic quality. At night, light beams run through the perimeter of the triangular planes to define the patterns in the façade and enhance the silhouette of the tower.

 

At the ground level, the curtain wall is conceptually cut away to allow a contrasting transparent retail podium box to be inserted while opening up a corner entrance at the same time. The entrance reveals a series of escalators leading customers to the main lobby on the second floor. The lobby continues the building form expression with the crystalline shapes of the lobby wall in the silver fluted glass and geometrically folded ceiling.

While most towers design in Hong Kong are detached from the podium in architectural expression, the design of the curtain wall in VPOINT seeks to have a more continuous, seamless and honest architectural expression. Thus the curtain wall is designed to continue from the tower to touch the ground level. The curtain wall is then conceptually cut away to allow a contrasting transparent retail podium box to be inserted in.

The façade lighting was designed to enhance the reading of the architectural form at night. LED light strips were embedded between the curtain wall mullions in the major sides of the triangle. When lit up the diamond shapes of the building could be seen from the urban landscape. The podium glass box is delineated with a strip light to emphasis its horizontality and continuity of the retail experience at the street level. The entrance lighting level was increased to wash the feature and define the entrance experience.