This early-2000s TOD development is located above the Ho Tung Lau Train Depot, adjacent to the Fo Tan MTR station in Hong Kong’s New Territories.

Made up of 10 residential towers of between 57-65 floors, The Palazzo has 1,375 units ranging in size from 700-2200 sq. ft., as well as 11 special flats collectively known as the Palazzo Villa, with floor areas of between 2,019 and 4,178 sq. ft., including five penthouses each with a private indoor pool.

The Palazzo has a fluid block plan with a serpentine layout which maximises the frontage of the residential units and the views over Shatin Racecourse and the Shing Mun River. This also reduces view block outs for surrounding developments and creates ample open space, overcoming the constraints of a narrow site geometry.

Sky gardens on intermediate floors improve natural ventilation and provide communal space for residents, while the clubhouse is long and narrow, turning the site constraints into an advantage – the interplay of solid and void in the building mass provides alternating indoor and outdoor spaces, with ‘semi-outdoor’ spaces such as trellised colonnades inserted to create gradual transitions.

Sustainable elements are present throughout, including the sky gardens, which enhance the micro-climate of the site and adjacent developments. These make the tower blocks more porous and allows wind to blow freely through the high-rise residential towers from the Shing Mun River to the hills and developments behind. Extensive greening is also present, including the luscious Borghese Garden, a large adjoining stretch of vertical green, and internal vertical greening along the main internal link between the indoor and outdoor pool.