AESOP GOUGH STREET
2018 HONG KONG
‘By constructing a series of steps and terraces, the tiny volume achieves elevation while maintaining the translucency and preserving the original structure beneath. The use of glass bricks creates a focal point, forming the floating floor and wall that responds to the street and offers glimpses into the store.’
The Aesop Gough Street store in Hong Kong is a tribute to the city's unique vertical nature, characterised by its hilly terrain and streets that resemble steps. Inspired by the bustling streets and constant climbing, the store seeks to replicate this experience, creating a captivating ground-scape that reflects the surrounding urban landscape. Preservation played a significant role in the design with the retention of the existing building's industrial heritage.
By constructing a series of steps and terraces, the tiny volume achieves elevation while maintaining the translucency and preserving the original structure beneath. The use of glass bricks creates a focal point, forming the floating floor and wall that responds to the street and offers glimpses into the store. The wedge shape floor plan and the limitations of the site forced modulation of the brick pattern, and positioning a square counter at the centre maximised the use of space while navigating the angles formed by the interstitial spaces.
Aluminium columns designed to support each brick provide a finer structure to uphold the bricks' transparency.
The private treatment room features a circular stair that remains unchanged to comply with code requirements but is adorned with a felt curtain, evoking a sense of cocooning, and softening the acoustics of the space. Pink granite, a local stone ubiquitous in Hong Kong, grounds the space in its environment, connecting it with the city's distinct character.
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RETAIL
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COMPLETE 2018
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HONG KONG
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BUILDER | EDMC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER | CO-STRUCT
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PETER BENNETTS