I love the city. From both emotional and business perspectives, Hong Kong is the right direction for us.
Hong Kong’s vibrant, high-density urban landscape inspires architects to integrate compact spaces, sustainability and diverse user needs via design and innovation. For Tina Norden, London-based partner with Conran and Partners, it was a pleasant surprise when she noticed the firm’s interior design standards being implemented at The Peninsula Boutique & Café in the Hong Kong International Airport.
Crafting from Local Legacy to Global Footprint
After a long history working in the region, Conran and Partners established its regional headquarters in Hong Kong in 2017, a strategic move that capitalised on the city’s unique position as a global design hub. Norden said, “We first started in Hong Kong with a small studio in Central with only three staff, and now with continuous development and the growth of our projects in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the region, we have expanded our Hong Kong office to a larger studio in North Point with 13 local designers and architects.” Its recent projects include residential projects in Hong Kong, and hotel projects in the Mainland, Jakarta and Melbourne.”
Norden recalled the decision to build from the ground up in Hong Kong. “We are not an expat practice,” she said. “We wanted closer connections to our clients and the region — colleagues who speak Cantonese. It really grounds our practice in the location. We see ourselves as a European design practice with an Asian heart.”
A Leading Hub for Business and Design
“Though we discussed ‘where’ a lot, it was a simple decision to go for Hong Kong,” Norden affirmed. “We share a history and close legacy. It offers professional bodies such as the Royal Institute of British Architects. Setting up a business is straightforward. Numerous flight connections from Hong Kong make it easy to manage regional sites or jet over from London. The city has a fantastic work ethic, with an international mindset and a high level of English language proficiency.”
