FRAME FOR LIFE: TwoTwoSix
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Hollywood road, in Hong Kong’s cultural district is to gain a landmark building that connects to the scale and soul of the area. Studioilse joins forces with Hong Kong property developer Blake’s to create a site that enhances the identity of the area.
From concept and architectural direction through to interiors, Studioilse use left and right brain intelligence, to create a real, authentic home. TwoTwoSix will have a sense of solidity, permanence and its own modern identity; yet tell the on-going story of the place, with street interaction. The units are now for sale.
Blake’s executive directors, Alan lo and Darrin Woo, with Ilse, share a common vision: to revive neighbourhood living that has become so rare in Hong Kong today. ‘Blake’s leads the way for a new class of creative developer, one who revitalizes neighbourhoods. TwoTwoSix will be a catalyst for such developments. Aimed at the cultured buyer, it will be the Portobello road of Hong Kong.’ Ilse Crawford.
Using a whole brain approach, Studioilse use a combination of empirical research and human understanding. Always starting from the context, the client, plus the social and economic realities, the studio then addresses human needs. For TwoTwoSix, the studio looked to Hollywood road for their starting point. The studio then built a physical and sensorial world that ties into the surroundings, often shut out by other local developments.
The Architecture
Studioilse took great care in the scale of building, to root it to the neighbourhood. The architectural materiality used appeals to the senses and importantly, creates a sense of warmth often missing in more conventional Hong Kong flats. As you walk off Hollywood road, discretely hidden behind a bronze architectural screen, you enter the double height light filled lobby, with verdant planting. A 5-storey development, with an apartment per floor of approximately 1,500 sq ft, is a generosity of space virtually unknown in Hong Kong. The ‘One room living’, uses dividers to give flexibility throughout the evolving life of the contemporary owner, yet provide a continuity between the former shapes of the room. The floor to ceiling windows overlook Hollywood Gardens and bring nature into the home.
The Show flat
The show flat appeals to world travellers, nomads who want a place to call their own. The design is international but reflects the eclectic mix of the area. The apartment is a ‘Frame for Life’. It’s art meets antiques, telling the on-going story of new inhabitants yet still connected to the neighbourhood.
‘When I look at spaces, I don’t just look at the visual. I’m much more interested in the sensory thing, in thinking about it from a human context, the primal perspective, the thing that touches you.’ Ilse Crawford.
Crawford has a whole approach to design, by focusing on human life; she brings soul to a project and creates new realities.
