As Hongkongers work from home again, property firms put office features into new residences

Sun Hung Kai Properties says it has integrated innovative design features in new residential developments

Families living in small flats can set up work zones with flexible wall systems, according to architecture firm

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The communal areas at SHKP’s Townplace Soho have been designed right from the outset to be work friendly. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:15am, 2 Dec 2020Updated: 4:37pm, 12 Jan 2021

Property developers in Hong Kong are responding to people’s needs as work from home becomes more common, by adding co-working spaces, strong information technology infrastructure and meeting facilities to new projects.

New residential developments have had to rethink communal spaces, said Simon Chua, the co-founder and executive director of architecture firm Lead 8. “The traditional clubhouses are useless during the pandemic. Some developers have started converting them to co-working spaces that people can rent during the day. [They can] share facilities such as printing, meeting rooms and flexible spaces for work and relaxation,” Chua said.

Hong Kong is facing its fourth coronavirus wave, and the government announced on Monday that civil servants will return to working from home. The city has also shut schools until the new year. With these developments in mind, some developers are making sure their homes can also serve as offices.

“With work from home becoming the new normal for many Hong Kong people and businesses, we have integrated innovative design features in most of our recently launched and upcoming residential developments, which make them an effective place for people to work and live, as and when needed,” Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), the city’s largest developer by market value, said.

The company has installed a strong IT and communications infrastructure at its latest developments, including St Martin in Tai Po, Wetland Seasons Park in Tin Shui Wai and serviced flat project Townplace Soho on Caine Road. All units as well as the clubhouses have Wi-fi to facilitate communications “anytime anywhere”, it said.

The clubhouse at SHKP’s St Martin development. Photo: Handout

“One of the first and foremost considerations was to have a robust IT infrastructure, both wired and wireless, to meet residents’ growing demand for bandwidth and to ensure seamless communications between residents and their working partners and colleagues working elsewhere,” said Robert Chan, project director at SHKP.