Guided Visit: A look at H Queen’s architecture and some galleries with William Lim

H Queen’s is the first vertical high-rise purpose-built art and lifestyle building in the world.  With 24 levels, the design was conceived 5 years ago to cater to the growing art market in Hong Kong.  The project began with research into the requirements of grade A international galleries in order to cater to their specific needs.  The result is a custom designed high rise with 4.65m floor to floor height, with extra floor loading capability, and a unique way of hoisting artwork through a lifting crane installed on the roof.  A 3m x 4.5m opening can be created on each floor though the custom designed sliding curtain wall system which also lets in natural ventilation if desired.

The building is conceived as a translucent cloudy-white “Jewelry” box to house the artworks. One of the first buildings in Hong Kong entirely utilizing low-e glass, it is highly energy efficient, allows zero UV penetration and hence protects the artworks.

There are several restaurant floors designed to include outdoor dining area in the form of terraces or large folding doors to create a full length openable side for the restaurant, plus a roof top dining/ bar area for 100 people.

Developed by Henderson Land, the building has received numerous design awards prior to its grand opening, including the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2015 – Retail Architecture, China Property Awards 2014 – Best Commercial Development (Hong Kong), LEED for Core & Shell Precertification in 2014 – Gold Level, China Green Building Design Label in 2015 – 3-Star Rating.

Resource Person

As Founder and Managing Director of CL3 Architects Ltd. (CL3), William Lim brings over 20 years of experience to his projects. An acclaimed architect and artist, William graduated from Cornell University and has spent the past two decades at the forefront of architecture, culture and art.

With a keen appreciation of humanities and art, William’s designs are distinctive and contemporary. “Architects have a social obligation to improve urban environments,” explains William. “Architecture is about people. I always feel that architects are only doing part of the job—the rest is really shaped by the occupant using the space. We treat every project as a unique challenge and pay attention to every single detail – from the architecture to the interior detailing– to create human-oriented and quality designs with artistic value.”.

Since founding CL3 in 1992, William has established a notable presence on the global design scene. The studio’s diverse, award-winning portfolio includes architectural and interior projects for hotels, restaurants, retail, corporate, residences and art installation design.

William is also active in the art space with a focus on public art. Throughout his career he has held several solo exhibitions showcasing his public art installations, most notably the Lantern Wonderland 2003 & 2011, Venice Biennale’s International Architectural Exhibition in 2006 & 2010, as well as Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in 2007, 2009 and 2017. His works have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Chengdu, the United States and Holland. More recently, his signature piece, “West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre”, was awarded the Grand Award and Special Award for Culture in Design for Asia Award in 2013.

Committed to promoting culture and education, William is currently the Advisory Council Member of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University and a Member on the Asia Pacific Acquisition Committee for Tate. Closer to home, he is also one of the Gallery Advisory Committee Members for The Asia Society Hong Kong Center and Museum Expert Advisers for the Hong Kong Museum.