In Kai Tak, a triple-height atrium and a long escalator are recast as a calibrated sequence rather than a neutral conduit. Three timber-and-shoji volumes compress and release scale to transition visitors from a conventional retail floorplate to a quieter dining level, while the adjacent TT SITE multipurpose hall extends the project’s interest in adaptable thresholds and event-ready infrastructure.
The Twins Kai Tak, TT Site Atrium Technical Information
- Architects: New Office Works
- Location: Kai Tak, Hong Kong, China
- Gross Area: 812.56 m2 | 8,746 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years: 2024 – 2025
- Photographs: © Leon Xu Liang
We aimed to transform this area into an immersive experience that transports visitors from the typical department store environment to an engawa-inspired setting, inviting them to navigate through a space that evokes the impression of being inside a lantern.
– New Office Works
Thresholds in a Vertical Retail Landscape
The project hinges on a single act of vertical movement. A long escalator links a triple-height atrium on level 10 to a dining level on 12, yet the connection is choreographed to function as a threshold rather than a conduit. The ride is made legible as a spatial episode with distinct atmospheres at departure, mid-journey, and arrival, reframing circulation as a key part of the interior’s architectural language.
The atrium serves as a hinge between retail circulation and the adjacent multipurpose venue, concentrating orientation within a compact footprint. From this node, sightlines open to multiple destinations while the escalator frames a controlled axis upward. The result is a hierarchy of thresholds that organizes movement, compresses decision points, and reduces visual noise in a typically overloaded commercial environment.
Lantern as Spatial Device: Sequencing and Scale
Three sequential volumes, composed of a timber grid infilled with backlit shoji, stage a procession akin to moving through the interior of a lantern. The first is the lowest, intentionally compressing the body after the grandness of the atrium; subsequent volumes progressively release height and light, easing the transition to the upper level. The calibrated shift in section turns a routine escalator ride into a measured recalibration of scale.
An engawa-inspired logic of layered edge structures the thresholds. A colonnade and horizontal banding at the atrium articulate openness and depth, while the escalator zone tightens into an enclosed envelope that emphasizes directionality. This alternation of edge conditions translates a vernacular spatial idea into a contemporary retail context, using gradations of enclosure to guide attention and slow pace in a high-traffic node.
Shoji, Timber, and the Optics of Movement
Shoji infill with slanted wood frames produces different readings depending on the direction of travel. Moving up, the oblique of the timber lattice dominates, foregrounding structure, grain, and the grid’s weight. Moving down, the paper’s translucency and the evenness of backlighting take precedence, flattening the grid into a glow and softening the envelope into a continuous luminous plane.
Lighting is tested both as an integrated extension of panel rhythms and as an independent layer. When merged, illumination reinforces the tectonic order and clarifies the procession; when treated separately, the light floats free of the grid, emphasizing depth and overlap between surfaces. The front plane oscillates between wall, unfolding ceiling, and autonomous feature, creating a dynamic envelope that alternately reads as a continuous volume and a layered assembly, depending on angle and motion.
TT SITE as Flexible Events Infrastructure
Adjacent to the atrium, TT SITE operates as a flexible hall supported by a discreet ceiling grid that carries sliding and pivoting panels. The system supports rapid reconfiguration for sports, markets, exhibitions, and curated displays without recourse to heavy rigging or extensive downtime. By consolidating services and attachment points overhead, the floor remains unobstructed, and the perimeter can be tuned to suit different acoustic and spatial demands.
A prefunction hall with an arched ceiling acts as a recognizable antechamber that buffers the operational intensity of event turnover. It gathers crowds, clarifies entry sequences, and absorbs temporal overlap between events. Together, the prefunction zone and reconfigurable main hall form an events infrastructure that aligns with the atrium’s threshold logic, extending the project’s emphasis on calibrated transitions from public concourse to focused program.
About New Office Works
New Office Works (NOW) is an architecture and design studio based in Hong Kong, founded in 2014. Their work bridges historical design languages with contemporary needs, creating inventive spatial solutions across scales, ranging from buildings and interiors to furniture and installations. Fueled by rigorous design research, physical prototyping, and material explorations, the firm has been widely recognized, including accolades from Architectural Record and Archdaily, and has won multiple international competitions.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: Leader Bright Limited
- Executive Interior Designer: AGC Design Limited
