PROJECT

Project Overview

The Outdoor Service Area (OSA) represents the second phase of the Grove Café project at Harbour Centre in Wan Chai. Commissioned by the landlord, Sun Hung Kai Properties, the initiative aimed to reposition the ageing commercial complex by introducing a more relaxed, lifestyle-oriented environment within its public space.

Facing the Victoria Harbour waterfront and located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the site sits at the intersection of a major business district and leisure promenade. The design therefore responds to a dual user profile—office professionals during weekdays and leisure visitors during evenings and weekends.

 

Design Concept

The concept was developed around the idea of creating an urban garden café—a soft, welcoming environment that contrasts with the surrounding commercial architecture while enhancing the harbourfront atmosphere.

Curved planters, layered tropical greenery, and integrated seating structures define the spatial layout, transforming the corridor-like outdoor area into a series of intimate social pockets. The landscape elements not only provide visual softness but also function as natural spatial dividers between seating zones.

Lighting plays a key role in shaping the atmosphere. Custom curved lampposts with spherical light fixtures echo organic landscape forms while creating a warm evening ambience that extends the café’s usability beyond daytime hours.

 

Spatial Strategy

The design focuses on three primary strategies:

• Landscape Integration
  Generous planting beds introduce a lush, garden-like character that softens the commercial surroundings and enhances user comfort.

• Flexible Social Seating
  Curved built-in benches and movable café seating allow the space to accommodate individuals, small groups, and casual gatherings.

• Pet-Friendly Environment
  Responding to the growing trend toward urban lifestyles, the outdoor area is designed as a pet-friendly social space that encourages visitors to relax with their pets while enjoying the harbourfront setting.

 

Design Outcome

The completed outdoor space transforms a previously underutilized corridor into a vibrant social terrace, where greenery, lighting, and hospitality design converge to create a welcoming urban retreat.

The project demonstrates how thoughtful outdoor interventions can elevate the experience of commercial developments, turning transitional spaces into active lifestyle destinations.

For Grove Café, the OSA not only expands its seating capacity but also establishes the venue as a distinctive harbourfront café experience within Wan Chai North’s evolving commercial landscape.