snøhetta reveals images of mixed-use 'airside,' to be its first built project in hong kong

snøhetta has revealed plans for its mixed-use ‘airside’ project, located on the former kai tak airport site. commissioned by nan fung group, ‘airside’ will be the studio’s first built project in hong kong, opening outward toward views over the victoria harbour and kai tak river. the 176,000 square-meter building merges a 200-meter tower with a base in one continuous form. located on top of the new kai tak metro station and in proximity to other public transport interchanges, the building will serve as the main gateway to the development, while offering visitors access to ample public spaces through a series of exterior plazas and roof top gardens.

all images © snøhetta / brick visual

snøhetta’s ‘airside’ project is characterized by its gently curving façade composed of fluted glass. the expression is evocative of the textile that anchored nan fung group’s historic industry, and is present throughout the project from the façade to the interior and landscape design. the textile pattern can also be read as a nod to the development of the nan fung group and the city of hong kong as a whole, as they both have experienced a transformation in focus from textile manufacturing and industry to real estate development, finance, and tech.

as one of the most densely populated cities in the world, hong kong’s commercial spaces are typically designed to have the urban landscape extend into its buildings. to support the thousands of people that flow through the kai tak metro station on a daily basis, the building’s retail space at the base is designed to accommodate this intense pedestrian traffic. in order to achieve this, the continuous building mass is composed of five volumes that step up from the kai tak river and culminate in the tower. the building’s unique shape creates a series of human-scale urban spaces at grade, and rooftop gardens which have views of the victoria harbour and the kai tak park.

‘airside’ offers visitors access to generous public spaces and green gardens through a series of exterior plazas and roof top gardens. these spaces are suited for urban farming, restaurants, events and recreation. at the heart of the building one finds a spacious retail atrium of almost 66,000 square meters filled with natural light. this central atrium space culminates in a rooftop garden, above which a tower tops out at 200 meters containing more than 110,000 square meters of grade a office space, retail spaces, as well as provisions for a hotel. both the tower and the base gently step down towards the southernmost corner, revealing and connecting the rooftops to the surrounding plaza and riverside promenade.

project info:

project title: airside

architecture: snøhetta

client: nan fung group

visualizations: © snøhetta / brick visual