STUDIO X CREATES PLAYFUL & INTERACTIVE WORKPLACE IN HONG KONG FOR US COMPANY

Studio X have designed and delivered a new workplace and showspace environment in Hong Kong for product development company, ThreeSixty Group, providing them with a showcase for their portfolio of global brands and includes a full scale FAO Schwartz prototype retail store.

Studio X have reimagined the working environment of ThreeSixty Group - who design, manufacture, distribute, and retail a diverse portfolio of innovative consumer products globally - doubling their capacity and providing them with a brand new Asia HQ, within Octa Tower in Kowloon Bay.

The 17,000sqft entire-floor office includes playful installations and abstract cues to engage and educate visitors and provide a regional context. The space has been divided into two main zones, with a ‘living’ workplace and product development showcase on one side, and a buyers showroom and prototype retail store and product gallery on the other.

Upon arrival guests are greeted by a logo wall made from 12,000 chopsticks, and a transparent glass product showcase room, providing a glimpse through to the working area beyond and emphasising the scale of the space, along with a whole-wall bespoke graphic artwork which pierces through both zones. The material palette was developed using ‘elemental’ materials, and executed using a deliberately engineered design language and an exposed ceiling throughout.

Studio X conducted several rounds of interviews with each client team and found that a one size fits all approach in terms of an open or closed working environment would not provide an optimal environment in terms of productivity and communication. In response, they created a series of custom designed spaces for each team so that designers could collaborate and listen to music, while lawyers could work free of distraction.

A high proportion of space given was also given to living and socialising, an usual attribute for a Hong Kong office, given the limitation over space and the city being the world’s most costly office rental market.

The client was heavily engaged throughout the project brief development - which needed to be in step with the business’s own dynamic transformation. That relationship also helped ensure that the entire project was successfully completed in 7 months, from concept to practical completion, despite including a complicated phasing exercise in order to keep the business up and running throughout the construction process without the need to function from two premises.

Studio X worked extensively on journey planning, to ensure that the space can be used intuitively for hosting clients who can be led through a series of interconnected experiences, woven together to create a seamless journey. Subtle level changes and runways have also been introduced to control views and create a sense of intrigue and excitement for visitors. Much emphasis has also been placed on the views over the old airport and the sunset over the iconic Hong Kong skyline - which features an illustrated translucent window graphic to help visitors identify key landmarks.

The project features a series of more intimate zones and installations such as a snug space for entertaining clients with a selection of fine tea and whisky which was inspired by oriental colonial salons from the 19th century, and a tensile wire ceiling which represents the amount of electrical wiring that goes into producing Three Sixty’s best selling remote control toy car.

Studio X was responsible for strategic brief development, concept design, construction drawings, tender administration, full on-site supervision and project management.