Sun House no longer separates working and entertainment, as they are closely related to enhance productivity and strive for work-life balance. Sun House accommodates several floors of co-working space, indoor and outdoor event venues, a café, and even a private cinema. It is a place not only for working but also socializing with the like-minded and relaxing when needed. Interaction elevates innovation.
Meanwhile, the idea of co-working has also adapted to the local working culture. The verticality continues the spatial circulation. The degree of privacy gradually elevates as floors go higher, where an approximation of 130 private offices and 800 workstations are located. The rebirth of Sun House does not only bring energy to the district, but it also motivates people to work.
The design of Sun House turns the original elements, including its identity, characters, and materials, into a modern design language. Instead of building an entire new building, the approach hopes to remain the identity of the tower which makes it different from the others. Both the exterior and interior details could trace back and tell a story from the former Sun House and the old Hong Kong. With the existing constraints, the function and zoning are reorganized, providing a whole new experience from the Arrival lobby to individual work spaces.
The new façade introduced a double-skin system to the architecture. The metal cladding offers a modern interpretation while sustaining a vintage impression. The bronze claddings on the façade echo the verticality of the city and response to the original building, while adding the taste of modernity with the new arrangement. The light bronze fins also perform as the sun-shading and privacy device. Daylight sensitive device is installed along the perimeter to control the lighting system. The skin system and device offer a better energy control particularly for the tropical climate in Hong Kong.
The verticality of the façade continues in the Arrival – entrance lobby. Against the dark ceiling, the light bronze rods wrap and layer with lights hanging and arraying in loops that fall to different heights. Along the corridor of the lift awaiting area, the wall is detailed with bronze dividends and diffuse glass.
Between the club floors, a massive hanging staircase links up the co-working areas. It is composed of 350 individual rods, spanning between the slabs appearing as music strings. Not only does it physically connect the co-working areas, but it also provides fluidity and translucency on the spatial circulation. The music strings act as the rhythm of the verticality from the exterior to the interior.
The bronze datum line along the terrazzo-finish wall is inspired by the walling thread in the original building, which was popular back in the day. The combination of the datum line and wall carries through the entire building, is reminiscent of the old Hong Kong style.
The design connects the architecture from the past to the present, from exterior to interior.