New eco-haven AIRSIDE boasts urban farm, smart bike parking system and more

The commercial property supplies its tenants with harvested produce from its urban farm.

Nan Fung Group’s mixed-use landmark, AIRSIDE, is charting a new course in sustainability by housing a 6,000 square feet urban farm within the mall premises that provides fresh produce to its tenants.

Located on the second floor of the shopping mall, AIR FARM houses over 50 varieties of seasonal crops.

Apart from F&B tenants, AIRSIDE also shares the produce harvested from the AIR FARM to the community and charitable organisations in need to “promote a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle and nature-based solutions to the public.”

AIRSIDE also organisers regular urban farming workshops in AIR FARM for the public and its tenants.

Doing such activities allows AIRSIDE to bring its “place of wholeness” concept to life, according to Billy Hui, executive director and spokesman at Nan Fung Group.

“AIRSIDE advocates a unique urban lifestyle concept of ‘wholeness’, promoting the harmonious cohabitation of humans and nature,” Hui said.

“The architectural design and facilities of AIRSIDE draw inspiration from a seamless integration of the complex with the natural environment,” he added.

Eco-haven

Showing its commitment to sustainability, AIRSIDE has dedicated one-third of its site to green spaces.  On the sixth floor of AIRSIDE, there is a rooftop garden that features a variety of tropical plants and native flora.

Beyond green spaces, what AIRSIDE has that makes it sustainable are  a range of innovative facilities like Hong Kong’s first Automatic Refuse Collection System and smart bicycle parking system, the largest office building monocrystalline PV farm and walkable PV, and 850 car parking spaces fully equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities.

AIRSIDE is also the first commercial development in Hong Kong to adopt the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department’s (EMSD) Kai Tak District Cooling System (DCS).

“We are immensely proud of the project’s status of having earned seven highest sustainable building certifications, including Platinum WiredScore and SmartScore Certifications, and WELL Core Platinum [amongst others],” Hui said.

Net Positive Pledge

AIRSIDE has also made an effort to include its tenants in its journey to building a sustainable and low-carbon society.

Through its tenant engagement initiative called “Net Positive Lease,” AIRSIDE is able to collaborate with tenants, employees, and community partners to drive sustainability.

Under the “Net Positive Lease,” tenants who committed to the “Net Positive Pledge” can receive a  series of incentives and benefits, including management fee incentives, marketing exposure, priority access to eco-provisions and programmes, and more.

“[The initiative will] mobilise tenants to achieve sustainability goals alongside the [Nan Fung Group],” said Hui.

AIRSIDE’s tenants who have committed to the “Net Positive Pledge” include  city‘super, SoHo House, AEON (Tseung Kwan O Store), Café de Coral Group and its restaurants, The D. H. Chen Foundation, and Groupe SEB.

Leisure, culture, and green living

For customers and visitors alike, what distinguishes AIRSIDE is its seamless integration of leisure, culture, and green living lifestyles, all under one roof.

The multi-storey shopping mall has 700,000 sq. ft. of retail space and over 60 F&B outlets.

Over 10,000 sq ft of the mall’s space is also devoted to arts and culture. The mall houses 18 pieces of permanent and digital artwork.

On the third floor, a 3,000 sq. ft. Gate 33 Gallery showcases art and cultural exhibitions curated by AIRSIDE’s professional team.

In addition to the Gate 33 Gallery, permanent art pieces can also be found throughout the AIRSIDE portfolio. This includes the largest painting ever created by emerging Hong Kong artist Wong Chun-hei on 6/F, who captures the iconic Lion Rock scenery as seen from AIRSIDE.

To Wun, who is renowned for his contemporary interpretation of traditional craftsmanship, also designed an interactive art installation inspired by the lion head in traditional lion dance for AIRSIDE.
 
Contemporary ink painter Koon Wai Bong and illustrator Onion Peterman also have works in the AIRSIDE premise.

“Alongside these artworks, an array of captivating photographs will also be on display. The late photographer John Fung’s final masterpiece focuses on the flight patterns of birds as they soar through the skies, symbolising the connection between avian life and AIRSIDE,” Hui said.

“Renowned photographer Tugo Cheng’s exquisite collection of aerial photographs showcases the cultural heritage and local customs of the Kai Tak area, while another photographer, Poon Chi-hung, documents the transformation of Kai Tak over the years,” he added.

A nod to textile

AIRSIDE’s design is art in itself, featuring the textile industry. “The entire design, from the landscape to the facade, massing and interiors, evokes aspects of textiles and tailoring as qualities of fabrics through design moves like weaves, folds, tears, and cuts,” Snøhetta, the architectural firm behind AIRSIDE, wrote in its website.

AIRSIDE’s facade is also covered with gently curved fluting glass, resembling the elegant drapes of fabric. 

“In the tower lobby, a custom-designed lighting installation with a weave-like pattern extends across the ceiling. The massing of the building, with its chamfered slices, nods to the tearing and cutting involved in textile manufacturing,” Snøhetta wrote.

The mall’s retail atrium, meanwhile, features spandrels clad with a custom-designed woven textile made from upcycled plastic from over 100,000 post-consumer bottles.

“The pedestrian landscape and plaza designs were conceived as folds generated from the twisting of the building masses on the urban fabric. Gently sloping walkways and plazas bend through the project, creating inviting pedestrian landscapes that interweave different species and colours of plants, many of them native species,” Snøhetta wrote.