INTERVIEW: MODERN ARCHITECTURE
Benoy bets on sustainability as it works to fully transform environments The head of the international architecture firm in Hong Kong says redevelopment projects today must have clear social benefits that create value for the wider community.
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nternational architecture firm Benoy has been involved in some of the biggest projects and landmarks around the globe. In Singapore, Changi Airport Terminal 4 (T4) has set a new global benchmark for the modern airport environment since it opened in 2018. Within two years, it won numerous design awards and received multiple five-star ratings from Skytrax. Meanwhile, Jewel Changi, which opened in April 2019, is an internationally award-winning 37,000 sqm gateway and lifestyle destination that features an indoor forest valley and majestic waterfall. For Jewel, Benoy formed part of a world-class consortium led by CapitaLand, with Safdie Architects as lead architect. Involved in the retail interior design and retail and aviation facility planning, Benoy created a unique and dynamic interior retail environment covering 137,000 square meters of retail, hospitality, dining and leisure spaces including lounges, a hotel and a cinema. It also contains 280 units over six levels; including flagship F&B and retail or brands unique to Singapore. Familiar malls and tourist favorites in other parts of the world are also included in Benoy’s portfolio. In Japan’s top shopping district, the Shibuya PARCO store that opened in November 2019 is a redevelopment of the department store that launched in 1973. According to Benoy, the refurbishment brief included design for a total built area of 64,000 square meters, with 42,000 square meters of retail space spread across 11 storeys consisting of high-end shops, F&B, experiential attractions, theatres and cinemas. Over at Sanya CDF Mall 24
HONG KONG BUSINESS | Q3 2021
Benoy was the Interior Architect and Designer for the retail portion of the Hysen Place redevelopment
Redevelopment projects should take both the commercial value and the impact they will bring to the local community
Phase II in China, the mixed-use commercial project became the first and only development of this type in Hainan province. Similarly, David Jones Elizabeth Street flagship store in Sydney’s Hyde Park District was rejuvenated by Benoy to keep its experiential luxury retail environment which first launched in 1927, whilst in Bangkok, Thailand they designed Icon Siam as a place that will be able to showcase the Chao Phraya River while integrating the shopping experience that the city is well known for. Head of Benoy Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shenzhen Terence Seah said that taking into consideration both the commercial value and the impact each project will bring the local community, they aim to provide mutual benefit in building these developments. “In these retail developments, we further blurred the boundary between shops and common public areas, altering the psychology of shopping. We transformed dull leftover public
spaces into experiential zones where both permanent and ad-hoc events could take place,“ he said. “We’ve also been working on a couple of experiential retail destinations in Bangkok and quite interestingly, a lot of these look at the existing communities. We look at how we can find ways to positively impact it and bring commercial value, but at the same time to kind of stitch the community and bring mutual benefit for the development,” he added. Seah shared that the architecture firm is currently part of the upcoming projects in Alibaba Jiangsu Headquarters, Nanjing, China and Mimosa Filinvest Lifemalls, Clark City, Philippines. The Alibaba Jiangsu Headquarters has a total investment value of over CNY 8 billion, and is designed to accommodate 30,000 people. It is a major mixed-use development with a gross floor area of 850,000 square metres. It is described as a benchmark for mixed-use smart city projects.
