Taking inspiration from Gottfried Semper’s writings on vessels, Bean Buro designed Uber’s new offices in Hong Kong, where individual parts fulfill their own function while cooperating with others to achieve an overall aim and effect.
A vessel for Uber
Inspired by feng shui, the city waterfront topography and Gottfried Semper’s writings on vessels, Bean Buro designed Uber’s new offices in Hong Kong.
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- 03 February 2017
- Hong Kong
Built on the top floor of an existing office building, the 830 sqm workplace interprets the city’s waterfront topography and curvy mountains with undulating, voluptuous dark blue inhabitable ‘vessel’ that contains meeting rooms, service areas and private work booths. The heart of the workplace is a café pantry, designed to support large social events, independent working and informal meetings. It includes a collaborative bar island, stage seating, and a 20m long table with integrated cushioned seats facing the city’s racecourse and sports grounds. Each individual part of the vessel features a variety of work spaces equipped with their own privacy control such as misty gradient glass partitions or curtains.
The reception introduces vibrantly coloured tiled walls and floors, contrasted with handcrafted neon signage, while a padded felt wrapped reception desk is reminiscent of luxurious car seating. An intricate wall art by local artist Bao Ho envisions a floating city vessel, packed with Hong Kong landmarks, futuristic transports and lucky feng shui symbols for the company.
Uber, Hong Kong
Program: office
Architects: Bean Buro
Team: Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Lorène Faure (design directors), Elspeth Lee, Isabel Entrambasaguas (senior architectural designers), Michelle Ho, Tommy Hui, Gigi Kwong, Abby Liu (architectural designers and assistants)
Contractor: Winsmart Contracting Co. Ltd
Project management: Colliers International
Completion: 2016