The Outdoor Service Area (OSA) represents the second phase of the Grove Café project at Harbour Centre in Wan Chai. Commissioned by the landlord, Sun Hung Kai Properties, the initiative aimed to reposition the ageing commercial complex by introducing a more relaxed, lifestyle-oriented environment within its public space.
Facing the Victoria Harbour waterfront and located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the site sits at the intersection of a major business district and leisure promenade. The design therefore responds to a dual user profile—office professionals during weekdays and leisure visitors during evenings and weekends.
The completed outdoor space transforms a previously underutilized corridor into a vibrant social terrace, where greenery, lighting, and hospitality design converge to create a welcoming urban retreat.
The project demonstrates how thoughtful outdoor interventions can elevate the experience of commercial developments, turning transitional spaces into active lifestyle destinations.
For Grove Café, the OSA not only expands its seating capacity but also establishes the venue as a distinctive harbourfront café experience within Wan Chai North’s evolving commercial landscape.
Project details
Construction Duration
~2 months
Location
Habour Centre, Wanchai North, Hong Kong
Signature materials
Curved Powder-Coated Steel Planters – forming the primary spatial structure and integrating greenery with seating.
Built-in Timber Bench Seating – warm wood surfaces that soften the outdoor environment and enhance comfort.
Natural Stone / Porcelain Paving – durable large-format flooring suitable for high-traffic outdoor use.
Decorative Landscape Planting – layered tropical greenery that defines the garden café atmosphere.
Custom Curved Metal Lighting Poles with Globe Fixtures – providing soft ambient lighting and reinforcing the organic design language.
Outdoor Café Furniture (Powder-Coated Metal & Timber) – lightweight and weather-resistant seating elements that support flexible social use.
Area
Approx. 1,000 sq. ft.(outdoor service area)
Year
2026
CONCEPT & INTENT
To transform an underutilized commercial corridor at Harbour Centre into a lush, pet-friendly outdoor café environment that enhances the harbourfront experience. Through integrated greenery, soft lighting, and flexible seating, the design creates a relaxed urban oasis that encourages social interaction while elevating the lifestyle appeal of the surrounding business district.
SPATIAL STRATEGY / PLANNING LOGIC
The spatial strategy transforms a linear outdoor corridor into a sequence of intimate social zones through the use of curved planters, integrated seating, and layered greenery. These elements define subtle boundaries without obstructing movement, maintaining clear circulation while creating comfortable pockets for dining and relaxation. The layout balances openness toward the harbour view with sheltered seating areas, encouraging both short visits and longer social gatherings in a relaxed, garden-like setting.
GALLERY
MATERIALITY & DETAILING
Softening a commercial waterfront setting through tactile materials, integrated landscape elements, and carefully articulated outdoor details.
The material palette was developed to introduce warmth and visual softness into a predominantly commercial waterfront environment. Curved powder-coated steel planters form the primary architectural elements of the outdoor space, acting simultaneously as landscape containers, spatial dividers, and seating backdrops. Their organic geometry breaks the rigidity of the surrounding architecture and establishes a more relaxed garden-like character.
Integrated timber bench seating provides a warm tactile contrast to the metal structures and enhances user comfort in the outdoor environment. The wood surfaces age naturally over time, reinforcing the casual and welcoming atmosphere of the café terrace.
Durable large-format stone or porcelain paving was selected for the flooring to accommodate high pedestrian traffic while maintaining a clean and refined visual continuity with the surrounding commercial plaza. The neutral tone allows the greenery and furniture to remain the visual focus of the space.
Landscape planting plays a critical role in the detailing strategy. Layered tropical foliage within the curved planters introduces texture, seasonal variation, and a sense of enclosure without blocking sightlines toward the harbour.
Custom curved lighting poles with globe luminaires complete the spatial composition. Their sculptural form echoes the soft geometry of the planters while providing gentle ambient illumination, allowing the space to transition naturally from a daytime café terrace into a welcoming evening social environment.
PROJECT GOALS & OUTCOMES
To transform an underutilized commercial corridor at Harbour Centre into a lush, pet-friendly outdoor café environment that enhances the harbourfront experience. Through integrated greenery, soft lighting, and flexible seating, the design creates a relaxed urban oasis that encourages social interaction while elevating the lifestyle appeal of the surrounding business district.
COLLABORATION & CONSTRAINTS
The project was developed through close collaboration between the Grove Café tenant team, the design team, and the landlord, Sun Hung Kai Properties, whose broader redevelopment strategy aimed to reposition Harbour Centre as a more lifestyle-oriented destination. The design therefore needed to align with the landlord’s spatial guidelines, visual standards, and long-term vision for the public realm of the complex.
One of the key constraints was working within an existing outdoor corridor adjacent to an operational commercial building. Circulation flow for office workers and visitors had to remain clear and unobstructed, requiring the spatial layout to carefully balance seating, planting, and pedestrian movement.
Additional considerations included compliance with building management requirements, durability of outdoor materials in a high-traffic harbourfront environment, and integration with the surrounding architectural context. The design also needed to remain flexible enough to support the café’s daily operations while maintaining the open, accessible character expected of a shared public space.
Through coordinated design development and careful material selection, the project successfully navigated these constraints, delivering an outdoor environment that satisfies operational needs, enhances the landlord’s public space strategy, and strengthens Grove Café’s identity within Harbour Centre.
GROVE CAFE
HARBOUR CENTRE - OSA
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