Making: Inspired Metamorphosis

To understand a place, its people must be understood first. What they desire, what they fear, what makes them tick. Link was born at a time when its home city Hong Kong was mature and cosmopolitan—a world-class financial hub against the backdrop of abundant natural beauty. It wasn’t always that way: the Asian tiger was once a sleepy backwater until entrepreneurs keen to make their fortune irrevocably transformed it through shipping, manufacturing and, more recently, services.

Link realised that Hong Kong’s infamous can-do attitude bolstered by successive waves of new minds and able bodies made do with sub-par environments for way too long. People adapt easily. Most were too busy to notice that wet market floors were accidents waiting to happen. Or that navigating dim and dilapidated buildings near their home was hindering their quality of life. They just got on with the business of getting things done: there were no reference points for how environments could be better.

In 2005, Link took a good hard look at the portfolio it had just acquired and determined that the people of Hong Kong deserved better. It developed a grand scheme for change while remaining prudent with the funds it was entrusted to spend. It took things slowly and cautiously, assessing which properties needed immediate attention, which needed time to develop a way forward, and which would do for the time being.

The University of Hong Kong-trained architect eventually became Managing Director of Project & Engineering (HK) with Link. He was the first to admit that no matter how beautiful hardware may be, software must be even more enticing. “Simply put, it’s about making people happy by making things better for them,” he affirms. “People who enjoy using a space will go back there. They will share what’s good about it with friends and family. It is not about making Disneyland: there is a difference between creating a destination that people go to once or twice a year, and an inclusive place they go to once or twice a day. That’s placemaking. It could be as straightforward as making our centres’ washrooms more functional and intuitive. Or landscaping an outdoor courtyard with native shrubs and flowering trees, for everyone from children to seniors to breathe in beauty on the walk home.”

For Max, the best holiday is a staycation. He loves roaming the streets of his hometown to check out how people interact with their environments—and deadpans that he visits shopping malls on days off. After all, unlike fine art, architecture and design have specific purposes for specific users; they are not interchangeable nor meant to hang on a wall for contemplation. The best designs are the ones with constant, round-the-clock usage for the entire demographic of intended users. Bonus points scored for attracting visitors from beyond the targeted demographic. Double bonus points for being part of tourist itineraries. “If what we designed plays out, then we have been successful,” Max states. “If a table isn’t used, then it’s not successful. This applies to everything. Most successful applications were functional. It had to work first. Then it could look good.”

Planning and programming must be more than facilitating access to tenants. For a place to truly be a third space, it needs to speak to the soul to address what people crave. After daily essentials are met, everyone wants community. Some place for kids to practise piano or trumpet without neighbours calling the cops to complain about noise. Some nook to get to know a special someone over shared interests and a passion for bubble tea. Somewhere safe and convenient for grandparents to frequent for their continued sense of independence. People look to mix-use complexes for all these things. To meet their needs, programmes must build in quiet corners and open air courtyards where rest, play, meditation and conversation can all take place— sometimes simultaneously.

Max built in impulse shopping features because he personally indulges in the practice. “I go for coffee and sip it in the garden next to the café,” he admits. “I may end up spending the rest of the day in the same mall. Retail complexes need to also have leisure and entertainment—social spaces where you can meet friends or chill. Basically, do all the things that you can’t do at home because of spatial restrictions or lack of cooking skills or any number of reasons. Facilities should welcome people lingering. Some may just pass through for its air-conditioned comfort on a hot day. In time, they will remember they need to pick up eggs. Or a new outfit for a party. This is how placemaking programmed into enhancements can change people’s attitude and habits, because they already have a bond with the complex.”

Although no two places are the same, transforming them is always a rigorous and systematic process for Link. Footfall analysis, focus groups and other in-depth studies shine a spotlight on what needs to be done. Once a path is determined and approved by stakeholders, the project moves forward either in phases to minimise disturbance to the existing community, or all at once if it’s a new or empty place. Materials are tested on site by Link’s research and development team to ensure solutions work as intended. Then it is glam’d up with locally commissioned art or pared down with simple lighting in accordance with or in contrast to the local vibe. “I had quite a free hand when it comes to design decisions,” Max shares. “There were no constants—we used different materials, different colour schemes, different artists, depending on the site. The end product range was huge as a result. As it must be.” In comparison to working with existing properties, new builds tend to take longer to complete and are executed to meet higher technical criteria. As they are designed to predict and address what people want for their entire life cycle, the process is ramped up accordingly. “New builds were both harder and easier to achieve,” says Max. “Yes, we had free rein to build whatever we want but we also needed to spend time and effort to get everything just right.”