Brennan Beer Gorman to design Hong Kong retail mall complex.

The desing of a new 561,870 square foot regional retail mall in the Diamond Hill area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, has been awarded to Brennan Beer Gorman/Architects Limited. The mixed-use project is being developed by World International Development Limited of Hong Kong.

World International Development Limited is one of the leading property developers in Hong Kong noted for its success in developing and marketing premium and quality properties. Its parent company, World International (Holdings) Limited, is a blue-chip listed company in Hong Kong which controls a market capitalization of over HK $80 billion (US $10 billion).

The retail mall will be constructed as the first phase of the 1.7 million square foot Diamond Hill Mixed-Use Commercial/ Residential Complex which is adjacent to Hong Kong's busy Diamond Hill MTR station and bounded by Fung Tak Road to the north, Lung Cheung Road to the south, an elevated roadway to the east, and Lung Poon Street to the west. The total development cost for Diamond Hill Mixed-Use Commercial/Residential Complex is estimated at US $167 million.

The Diamond Hill development site was purchased by World International Development Limited at a recently-held government auction for a record US $456 million. Recognizing the site's size and superlative location with a direct connection to the territory's efficient mass transit railway, World International Development Limited plans to build a regional shopping complex which is estimated to have a catchment population of 4.5 million.

Brennan Beer's Hong Kong office managing director, Jeffrey M. Williams, AIA, commented, "The Diamond Hill project represents the type of project and scope of design services for which the firm is uniquely positioned to deliver in the region. Our retail and mixed-use design experience, along with our local presence will enable us to easily communicate with our Hong Kong client, while providing the critical initial design work from our New York office."

Diamond Hill is being developed as a three-level, 561,870 square foot retail mall complex with five residential towers adjacent to the mall. The project will be completed on a fast-track basis, with the retail podium as the first phase.

The project is readily accessed by the public from a grade level entry at the southwest comer of the site, a MTR subway station at the southeast comer of the site, and from an elevated footbridge at the northwest comer of the site, as well as a private connection from the residential towers.

The Hong Kong architectural firm, Wong Tung & Partners Limited, will have primary responsibility during Construction Documents and Tender & Construction phases of the project.

Brennan Beer Gorman / Architects Limited's primary scope of work is to provide the exterior and interior architectural design of the retail complex. Design services for the mall include the planning and layout for all retail areas. In addition to interior finishes, Brennan Beer, Gorman / Architects Limited will be developing the design standards for all retail store fronts and tenant signage criteria, as well as lighting and graphics for all public circulation areas.

Brennan Beer Gorman / Architects Limited established its Hong Kong office in January of 1992 to better serve their Asia Pacific clientele. Current regional design projects include the Peninsula Hotel under construction as well as an Office/ Residential complex in Bangkok, Thailand; the Jakarta Stock Exchange Building under construction in Jakarta, Indonesia; the Jalan Mayarig Office Building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; a businessperson's hotel and a master plan development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which contains office, hotel, residential and retail components; as well as various corporate apartments, hospitality projects, and master plans for mixed-use complexes within the Asia Pacific region.

In the United States, the firm's founding partners have designed several department stores for such prominent American retailers as Sears Roebuck, and Macy's including the recently completed Bullock's in Burbank, CA, a Macy's subsidiary. Retail malls designed by the firm's partners include New Jersey's Willowbrook Mall; and renovations of Main Place Mall in Buffalo, NY; Staten Island Mall, NY; and Massachusetts' Worcester Center.