Projects

HKU SPACE Po Leung Kuk Community College

Hong Kong, China

A joint venture between HKU SPACE and Po Leung Kuk, this is a tertiary education institute located within the 130-year Po Leung Kuk Community College in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. RLP designed the 19-storey building to be a link between the public and this charitable organisation.

The design was intended to express transparency, intellectual exchange, a welcoming environment, and a clear definition of functions at the same time. The building envelope reinforce these design intentions – with full-height glazing revealing student activity within and bringing the façade to life. Internal connections are also prominent throughout, with a grand staircase connecting the lower floors, providing a quick route and a visual connection to the common areas. The teaching floors are connected through a wide and prominent staircase at the northeast corner, facilitating student movement and interaction without reliance on lifts. Externally, it symbolizes a lantern at night.

The building has five distinct bands: the public areas on the ground and first floors with an entrance lobby, reception and registration areas; the college hall and two lecture theatres on the second and third floors; library and learning commons on floors four and five; and classrooms and teaching areas above up to the fifteenth floor. Finally, the administrative offices and staff areas are located on the top three floors beneath the distinctive roof structure, which mirrors the white portal at ground level.