Hong Kong graduates win prestigious German design award for co-living unit
‘Connex’ has divided what is a 600 sq ft flat into a circular 200 sq ft core area – serving as a shared sitting room, open kitchen and bathroom – with five individual bedrooms leading off it
A micro-flat designed by four mechanical engineering graduates from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and targeted at younger buyers has won a prestigious German iF Design Talent Award.
The “Connex” has divided what is a 600-square-foot flat into a circular 200 sq ft core area – serving as a shared sitting room, open kitchen and bathroom – with five individual bedrooms leading off it, via scrolling doors.
The design comes hot on the heels of a rash of launches, mainly by smaller developers, of so called co-living flats for young people in Hong Kong, including projects such as M3, SynBOX and Bibliotheque by Synergy Biz, and Mini Ocean Park Station by Eton Properties.
But local market observers have given mixed opinions on the winning design, which some suggest could meet problems clearing Hong Kong building regulations.
Among its critics is Phileas Kwan Po-lam, executive director of developer Asia Standard Group, who said the design had very limited potential.
“If adopted in reality, it will be famous but unpopular. In practice, Hong Kong residents prefer to have more privacy, which the design cannot offer,” he said.