Hkhs Exhibition Centre التصميم

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Re-opened in March 2024, the refurbished Exhibition Centre of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) is a small place tasked to achieve a big goal. It is a key HKHS avenue to instil public confidence through underpinning a laudable message: HKHS has been a reliable and dedicated housing provider for Hong Kong in the past 70 years. They are committed to play the same role going forward and will continue to be an unwavering housing partner of Hong Kong families in the long run.

Dimensions & Packaging

Area 200 sqm, ceiling height 3m, ceiling clearance 2.5m

Tags

exhibition, interactive, multimedia, community, sustainability, people-oriented

Production Technology

Interactive kiosk controlled by old telephone, LED dome with 360 VR, 3D naked-eye animation, digital twin, instant polling with real time visualisation

Design Challenge

Challenges have pushed OVAL to escalate to a higher level of design acumen and craftsmanship. 20% of the total floor area is laid out in acute-angled configuration whilst low ceiling clearance at 2.5m aggravated the spacing issue. The solution of putting the 270-degree VR projection on dome-shaped screen in the triangle was a no-turning-back option due to post-Covid reluctance to use goggles. Lastly, OVAL must surf through voluminous content simultaneously for proposing on touch point anchors.

Research

Research was done in three different directions. User research revealed that less text and more humanised features were preferred. Communication strategy research whereby HKHS management repositioned the new Centre as an avenue for instilling public trust. Technical research calibrating the combination of 270-degree VR projection on a dome-shaped screen with content rotation triggered by motion sensing technology for accommodating visitors of different body sizes and heights.

Inspiration

In Hong Kong, there are families who wait for 5 years for a shelter in a public rental estate. The message disseminated by the Centre carries weight among them. OVAL’s effort is to enable visitors to take home a special experience that makes them feel connected with the message and cast their trust with HKHS. Content-wise, there is a lot to say. As for tone and manner, the visitor should be warmed by the ambience and the features that he touches and maneuvers during the visit.

Project Duration

The project started in September 2023 and finished in March 2024 in Hong Kong.

Operation Flow

Curated contents are displayed in three zones for sight by visitors who mostly come in as guided-tour participants. Each zone is filled up by exhibition items attired in multiple formats: physical boards, digital screens with physical levers for access to information and interactive games on computers and physical platforms. They lined up in a circular flow to echo with three themes: ‘Creating Homes for the Community’; ‘The Housing Ladder’ and ‘Creating Homes for Sustainable Living’.

Patents

OVAL Design Limited

Image Credits

OVAL Design Limited