Designer dorms: private student housing opens in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan district
Private student housing opens in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district
![A new private student housing complex](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v2gsHu4JFp6EHUPpbqwRoN-415-80.jpg)
Compact communal living is at the heart of new private student housing in a 12-storey hotel-service apartment building in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district, a 30-minute drive from Central. The 48 rooms spread over the three lower floors of the existing building – all designed by LYCS Architecture – cater exclusively for students at nearby universities with beds 'renting' for HK$4,000 a month (including all fees, electricity and water, and a hip 'Campus Guru' concierge service). It's revolutionary stuff for one of the world's most expensive cities.
Each 660 sq ft room sleeps up to four students within an intelligently placed built-in bunk bed layout, each with a steel access ladder, blackout curtain for privacy, electrical wall sockets and a reading light. Micro personal spaces also neatly incorporate a clothes rail, built-in shelves and lockable drawers, along with a built-in desk sporting a multi-socket USB hub.
Inside each apartment, shared facilities are kept to the minimum with a small bathroom, kitchenette and dining table. A Ferrari-red retro refrigerator is a striking addition to the pared-down neutral tones and natural timber palette.
'The aim was to create a very functional space that still provides a sense of privacy and a design edge,' says general manager Peter Pfister. 'It helps that each room has good sea views and high ceilings.'
Other facilities include a contemporary communal lounge sporting graffiti by a local artist, and the hotel's gym, waterfront swimming pool and sun terrace. A ground floor cafe is currently being redesigned by Hong Kong-based practitioner Hernan Zanghellini.
It may be the first of its kind in the city but as local and international students immediately snapped up every bed as they were unveiled this summer, it's unlikely to be the last.
The 48 rooms spread over the three lower floors of the existing building cater exclusively for students at nearby universities with beds 'renting' for HK$4,000 a month
Inside each apartment, shared facilities are kept to the minimum with a small bathroom, kitchenette and dining table
'The aim was to create a very functional space that still provides a sense of privacy and a design edge,' says general manager Peter Pfister. 'It helps that each room has good sea views and high ceilings'
Other facilities include a contemporary communal lounge sporting graffiti by a local artist, and the hotel's gym, waterfront swimming pool and sun terrace
A Ferrari-red retro refrigerator is a striking addition to the pared-down neutral tones and natural timber palette
It may be the first of its kind in the city but as local and international students immediately snapped up every bed as they were unveiled this summer, it is unlikely to be the last
ADDRESS
Campus HK
123 Castle Peak Road
Yau Kom Tau
Tsuen Wan
Hong Kong
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
'Famous but understudied': IM Pei exhibition at M+ in Hong Kong is a deep dive into the architect's legacy
'IM Pei: Life is Architecture' is an exhibition celebrating the global icon; and it's just opened at M+ in Hong Kong
By Ijeoma Ndukwe Published
-
Fotografiska Shanghai invites us to 'a poetic immersion' into the realm of photography
Fotografiska Shanghai by AIM Architecture opens nestled into a green corner of the Chinese city's Suzhou Creek
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Chinese community hall brings contemporary minimalism to its historical site
A new Chinese community hall in Wanghu Village, designed by UAD, effortlessly blends old and new in minimalist architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Gong House is a contemporary Chinese home drawing on its spectacular countryside context
Gong House by Shenzhen-based Various Associates is a modern family home nestled in the Chinese countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The ZGC International Innovation Center in Beijing is a futuristic addition to China's own 'Silicon Valley'
The ZGC International Innovation Center by MAD Architects completes, revealing a new hub for technology and modern ideas that co-exists with its surroundings
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Emerald Screen Pergola brings wonder and intrigue to an everyday setting in China
Designed by Wutopia Lab, Emerald Screen Pergola is a pavilion designed to inject ‘magical realism’ into the everyday, nodding to ancient Chinese practices
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Beijing City Library is an otherworldly escape from the digital world
Beijing City Library by Snøhetta is a flowing, welcoming space to share knowledge and socialise
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house opens as a museum and bookshop in Suzhou
20th-century Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house in Suzhou has opened to the public as a museum, featuring a bookshop designed by Tsing-Tien Making
By Ellie Stathaki Published