01 / Selected work
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Selected work03

Office lobby renovation

Location
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Type
Office building lobby
Year
2025-26
Commission
Freelance
Role
Sole designer - concept
Visualisation of the lobby stair rising to the lifts, under a white arched ceiling with backlit side panels
Fig. 01 - The lobby, visualisation

The brief

A concept design to modernise the lobby of an office building in Wan Chai, on a modest budget and with off-the-shelf products.

The lobby felt dark and dated. Warm metals such as brass would have clashed with the existing brushed steel, so the palette goes cooler and higher in contrast instead: very dark bronze and black powder-coated metal. Backlit panelling and an arched ceiling feature bring back light.

Details you didn't ask for

  1. Ceiling section, 1:20: an 1,800 mm arch in a framed drop ceiling between two 750 mm bays, below the ducts, with light strips
    Fig. 02 - Drop ceiling section, 1:20
    01

    An arch that still reads as recessed

    During construction, equipment above the ceiling meant the arch could not recess as deeply as designed. The client wanted to keep it, so we built a box to house the arch and painted it dark against the white arch. It still reads as recessed, even though it now hangs lower than planned. A light strip under the arch washes light upward.

  2. Fig. 03 - Directory screen
    02

    A directory screen that stands on its own

    The client wanted an LED screen in place of the wall directory. A freestanding unit avoids fixing into the tiled wall or covering the fire hydrant cupboard behind it, and can move if needs change.

  3. Fig. 04 - Stair nosings
    03

    Stair nosings over cracked stone

    Metal nosings on the stair edges cover cracked stone tiles at low cost, without replacing the treads.

Drawings

The lobby before the works: a stair with glass balustrades between grey stone walls, with a white ceiling
Fig. 05 - The lobby before

Materials

M01

Dark bronze

Accent metal, cooler and higher in contrast to suit the existing steel
M02

Black powder-coated metal

Framing to the lift panels
M03

Backlit panels

Side panelling, semi-translucent with a printed mesh

Specification

  1. 01Lift panelsStick-on stone finish with black metal framing
  2. 02Ceiling, centreWhite feature arch in a dark-painted framed box, with a light strip 1,800 mm wide
  3. 03Ceiling, sidePainted dark to hide the air-conditioning grilles
  4. 04Side panellingSemi-translucent backlit panels with a printed mesh, in the existing layout to save cost
  5. 05StairMetal nosings over the existing stone treads
  6. 06LightingWall light above the stair painting, directed onto the artwork