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Rasheed and Amy Shroff, founders of the Banyan Workspace, in Quarry Bay. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Luxury co-working space in a grungy Hong Kong industrial building - couple reveal why they chose to call it Banyan

  • The eco-aware working space in an old Quarry Bay toy manufacturer’s warehouse has a distinctly Hong Kong feel, with lockers made to look like resemble vintage Chinese medicine cabinets
  • Sustainability and socially responsible policies have drawn a younger crowd
Start-ups

Hong Kong’s grungy industrial buildings have an undeniable charm, but would you want to work in one? If you’re not convinced, try head­ing for Quarry Bay, where a former toy manu­facturer’s warehouse has been transformed into a calming office oasis by the team behind the newly opened Banyan Workspace.

With international shared-workspace provider WeWork hanging by a thread, entrepreneurial couple Amy and Rasheed Shroff knew they had to offer some­thing more than a series of generic, impersonal white cubicles and a coffee machine, so they designed a luxury space with sustainability and comfort in mind.

“We wanted to create an environment where people really wanted to come to work every day,” says managing director Rasheed.

The space has a distinctly Hong Kong feel, with lockers made to resemble vintage Chinese medicine cabinets, woven-raffia panels and plenty of greenery.

“We came by the name because on the old Silk Road, traders used to take shelter and do business under banyan trees,” says Rasheed.

The interior of the Banyan Workspace, in Quarry Bay. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Green velvet curtains, wood-panelled walls and parquet floors encapsulate a book-filled atrium the team calls the “library”, a space that can be used for events, or relaxing, that opens on to a light, spacious area containing work deskswith harbour views.

It also contains recycling bins, reusable lunchboxes, locally sourced snacks, lampshades made from repur­posed construction waste, plants selected for their air-filtering properties and furnishings made with birch and raffia, two of the most sustainable woods. A corporate social responsibility programme for members sees 2 per cent of revenues go to four local charities: environmental NGOs Redress and Plastic-Free Seas, and OneSky and Teach for Hong Kong, which focus on education.

“We’re always trying to be more environmentally aware and sustainable,” Amy says, adding that Banyan’s ethos has attracted younger clients than expected. “We assumed our client base would be slightly older than your average co-working space member, but the concept of giving back and being environmentally conscious has resonated with millennials.

“It’s about having the luxury that you love but not feeling guilty about it.”

Prices start from HK$450 for a hot desk day pass. For more information, go to banyanworkspace.com.
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