This is the first railway concept residential development in in the district. Yuen Long is originally a rural district with long history of farming and fishery. It is now rapidly developed as one of the major new town in Hong Kong. The site is a crescent shape of land at the fringe of industrial area but it overlooks the upper stream of famous Shan Pei River, which meander toward the Nam San Wai Wetland. The development had to provide affordable units in limited flat size to help easing the housing demand of general public. Under this challenging context, the design intends to create a sustainable community that respect the rural contexts of Yuen Long yet strike balance with new town development.
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The Spectra
Residential Architecture (Built)
Firm
Wong Tung & Partners Limited
Architect/Designer
Alex Lau
Design Team
Alex Lau, W S Lam, Joanna Wong, Melvin Lee, Amy Ip
Location
Hong Kong
Country
Hong Kong
Photographer/Copyright
©Wong Tung & Partners Limited
There are four residential towers providing 910 small size units. They are 24 storeys in height, spreading out in a serrated form to embrace the river front and optimize the view. The main façade of towers is mostly facing south west towards the river and wetland in distance. 15-18 m breezeway east to west are required between towers as a planning condition. This wind corridor is important in directing the prevailing wind between buildings to carry away the heat cumulated in the surrounding districts towards the open space along the river.
North to the site is industrial area and Long Ping MTR Station. Visual and noise impact on the development is considerable. The initial land grant condition is to build a noise barrier on the station to shield the potential railway noise but the team choose to resolve the issue by articulating the buildings’ orientation. The units in northeast are relatively small to allow more flexibility in planning. To mitigate the noise issues, units are faced away from the railway line. Acoustic fins extended from the windows and balconies shield most of the noise from rail. Acoustic windows and balconies are also provided to further mitigate the noise impact.
Arrival to the site is mainly through the footbridge from Long Ping Station. An entrance plaza engulfing the footbridge create a welcoming gesture to residents. At the heart of the development is the club house. It consists of family-oriented facilities such as children play area and gym. Existence of drainage reserve under the site restricts the footprint of clubhouse. To optimize the use of limited space, we utilize the outdoor area as an extension of interior space. Space such as multi-function room is opened up directly to the garden, to encourage city people to enjoy the outdoor.
As the development is close to the MTR station. Most people first glimpse of the development is through the window of arriving train. Four boldly colored portals are featured on the main façade to catch the attention of people in seconds before the train departs. Simple and bold design language for façade in contrary brings energy to the calm rural setting.
Total GFA.: 48,675 m².
Construction Cost: HK$1,963M.
Completion: 2017