Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its design for the 36-story Murray Road project for Henderson Land, in the heart of Hong Kong’s central business district. Creating new civic plazas enveloped by nature, the urban oasis is located in proximity to both Central and Admiralty MTR metro stations.
Replacing a multi-story car park, the development is connected to adjacent public gardens and parks, through an elevated base sheltering courtyards cultivated with trees and plants. These outdoor areas seamlessly flow into the communal spaces of the interior. Inspired by the structural forms and layering of a Bauhinia bud about to blossom, known as the Hong Kong orchid tree, the design generates a very wide span of naturally lit, column-free, Grade A office space with a 5-meter floor-to-floor height giving maximum flexibility.
The façade, designed to withstand summer typhoons, includes 4-ply of double-laminated, double-curved insulated glass units, in order to insulate effectively the building and reduce its cooling load as well as build resilience. Moreover, “hybrid ventilation is controlled by the building’s automated management system and enables all office levels to be naturally ventilated”. In fact, smart systems learn to accurately predict daily occupancy trends to optimize energy demand, ensuring increased efficiencies with lower energy consumption.
On another hand, two weather stations, connected to the building’s automated management system and installed at street level and roof level will monitor real-time outdoor conditions, informing occupants of outdoor air quality. “A 26% reduction in electricity demand will be achieved with the use of smart chiller plant optimization, high-efficiency HVAC equipment, and daylight sensors that reduce artificial lighting during periods of sufficient natural light”. Achieving LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum pre-certification together with the highest 3-Star rating of China’s Green Building Rating Program, the project is targeting full certification at occupancy.
Eliminating direct contact with communal surfaces, the building’s smart management system creates a contactless experience. In fact, “using a mobile phone, contactless smart card or biometric recognition, occupants can enter the building and pass security, call lifts to their office floor and access other zones”.
While works began last year, 2 Murray Road took on a top-down construction method to accelerate the redevelopment program on-site by implementing deep basement and above-ground construction at the same time.
- Height: 190m (36 levels including ground, 5 below ground)
- Floor area: 43,200 sq.m
- Site coverage: 65% developed
- Client: Henderson Land
- Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
- Design: Patrik Schumacher
- ZHA Project Directors: Jim Heverin; Sara Klomps, Chris Lepine
- ZHA Project Team: Brandon Gehrke, Bidisha Sinha, Carlos Michel-Medina, Edgar Payan, Eddie Can, Fernando Alvarenga, Hazel Wu, Inês Fontoura, Irena Predalic, Janet Cheung, Kaloyan Erevinov, Kar-Hwa Ho, Karoly Markos, Kelvin Ma, Kylie Chan, Magda Smolinska, Melodie Leung, Michael Sims, Muriel Boselli, Nailu Chen, Oliver Bray, Paulo Flores, Simon Yu, Tim Yeung, Torsten Broeder, Yun Zhang
- ZHA Competition Team: Edgar Payan, Adrian Yiu, Brandon Gehrke, Carlota Boyer, Eddie Can, Fernando Alvarenga, Irena Predalic, Karoly Markos, Lorena Espaillat Bencosme, Maria Tsironi, Michail Desyllas, Nailu Chen, Paulo Flores, Philip Siedler, Saman Dadgostar, Torsten Broeder, Uli Blum
- Local Architect & AP: Ronald Lu & Partners (Hong Kong)
- Building Services Engineering: WSP (Asia)
- Structural & Geotechnical Engineering: LERA Consulting Structural Engineers (Steel); C M Wong & Associates; Eckersley O’Callaghan Asia (Footbridges & Banquet Hall)
- Facade Engineering: Group 5F; Meinhardt Facade Technology (Hong Kong)
- Lighting consultant: LichtVision; Speirs + Major (Landscape & Media Façade)
- Landscaping: PWP Landscape Architecture; Earthasia
- Quantity Surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Sustainability & Civil Engineering: Arup
- Traffic consultant: MVA (Hong Kong)
- Acoustic consultant: Shen Milsom & Wilke
- Vibration consultant: C.F. Ng and Associates
- AV / IV / Specialist Media consultant: Ptarmigan Integration Limited
- Security consultant: UCS Hong Kong
- Signage & Wayfinding consultant: Atelier Pacific
