Bean Buro’s design for an 80-person office for marketing brand Williams Lea Tag in Wan Chai, Hong Kong uses scaffolding-inspired framing structures, neon signs and plenty of plywood. The 670-square-metre space has been choreographed with a front-of-house area, a statement central boardroom, a large pantry, desks and flexible seating areas.

“The narrative was inspired by the layered densities of downtown Wan Chai in Hong Kong in terms of the neon signs on porous facades, as a set of architectural joinery devices to encourage social interaction and chance encounters in this workplace,” says Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Co-founder of Bean Buro.

Visitors and staff are greeted by a spacious front-of-house area with a large central seating area and two booths. A view of the iconic Lockhart Road is visibly through the boardroom directly ahead. The visible shopfronts, scaffolding and neon signs informed the series of flexible spaces.

Blue scaffolding surrounds communal booths and continues around the corner to other office areas. Neon signs are hung above them. An informal bookshelf and display area mimics a street-corner magazine stand.

The pervading palette, continuing throughout the office, is light textured plywood accented with blues, giving a cosy yet raw industrial feel. Different hues of grey curve and sweep along the floors and walls to denote different areas of the office. 

“We developed a dynamic palette composed of natural finishes with coloured accents. The main feature is a bar island upon entry surrounded by diner-style booths, and a sculptural boardroom that visually frames the external street view constructed entirely in plywood,” says Bean Buro Co-founder Lorène Faure.

The large plywood-clad boardroom anchors the rest of the office. Around the exterior, sculptural benches create extra informal meeting spaces. A playful black arched portal door framed in blue acts as the threshold into the boardroom.

A large window allows the iconic high rises and signage of Hong Kong to act as a backdrop. This, along with a vibrant palette and statement pendant lighting, create a peaceful atmosphere that connects to both the outside neighbourhood and other areas of the office through large internal windows.

Other meeting rooms are enclosed by glass partitions and contain vibrant colours to bring as much light and playfulness into the office space as possible. In the colourful pantry, a large round table with pendant light creates a homely feel.

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Williams Lea Tag Workplace

Client: Williams Lea Tag
Designer: Bean Buro
Design Team: Lorène Faure, Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Lelia Ku, Jay Jordan
Contractor / Project Management: Winsmart Contracting Co. Ltd