18 Robinson

Armature for Public Green Space The site of 18 Robinson is the terminus of an acute “V” shape. Its high visibility mandated a strong, recognizable architectural object that both maximizes the site’s commercial potential and serves as an important public amenity. Throughout the tower are publicly accessible green spaces. The green spaces, equivalent to the total site area, are placed strategically towards key surrounding urban features, including the gazetted national monument, Lau Pa Sat. The powerful image of the 20 office floors separated from the 7-storey podium is a deliberate punctuation to mark a diversion from the urban canyon and monotony of simply extruded surrounding rectilinear towers. The faceted vocabulary of the tower and the podium, combined with a reduced scale and materiality, form a contextual relationship with the sloped terracotta roof form of Lau Pa Sat. The podium acts as a frame for the entrance plaza and atrium garden. This design move enhances spaciousness and the fluidity of internal to external. The atrium forms the nucleus around which the office lobby, retail, and restaurant spaces are organized. The site’s small size is maximized with seven floors of retail, restaurants, and gardens, creating an appealing destination and pushing the limits of vertical retail. The innovative internal biology of the tower is designed in response to the small site and immediate proximity to a subway tunnel. To transfer the tower gravity loads away from the subway tunnel below, ‘chopstick’ columns are introduced, allowing the tower float above a sky terrace. The resulting 1,100sqm floorplates around the offset core allow key views towards the city while limiting exposure to harsh afternoon sun.