Nestled in the hills of Siu Lam and just east of the Hong Kong Gold Coast, the Hillgrove is a low density, low-rise residential estate. The 5,000-square foot irregularly shaped clubhouse overlooks an outdoor swimming pool and is flooded with natural light. As it’s on the ground floor, there were many service restrictions to be dealt with. The notion of disappearance that people could not distinguish between what is part of the club and what isn’t, and disappearance in the sense of echoing the surrounding environment with reflective materials becomes the prime concept for the club.
The straightforward brief consisted of a gym, multi-function room, changing rooms, meditation rooms, treatment rooms, reception and bar. Each space with its own personality and intimacy, maybe the clubhouse can become an even more personal space than you home.
Instead of a large room for group seating, just outside the spa are three individual rest areas using the gorgeous mountain views as a design feature. Each space has its own small LCD monitor and adjustable lamp for some chill out entertainment while one can recuperate from the massage or workout. A single, transparent chair is both practical and a part of the sculptural montage. Beyond this area, treatment rooms are each paired with a separate wet and dry area, where careful attention was paid to lighting.
Lined with giant panes of textured glass to give an underwater feeling, rooms feature earthy mosaic tiles lining sculptural vanity units. This lack of ornamentation means that the materials themselves become the main attraction.
Usually, changing areas are the least attractive places and use the cheapest materials, but these are places where everyone is bound to visit. So lots of lighting were put on the floor to make it more diffused and intimate. The lockers were also cladded with mirrors, to make the small space seem larger.
Meanwhile, public spaces such as the reception and bar area have the cozy atmosphere of a club – Norwegian stone with a metallic sheen makes the main floors, and the seating area is placed on a lit platform. This contrast in tone reflects the overall play on light and dark, which is also found in the corridors lined with translucent textured glass for a sexy, shadowy effect. Intentionally inexpensive materials were employed alongside avant-garde furniture and lighting selections to highlight the fact that cheap does not have to equate ugly if interpreted in a symbiotic way.