HSBC Atrium
The Cathedral
Celebrating the Atrium of Foster’s
HSBC building in Hong Kong
The atrium is eleven stories high. Mounted at the top are a bank of giant mirrors designed to reflect natural light being captured by the computer controlled ‘Sunscoop’, a massive articulated reflector mounted on the exterior of the South façade.
Sadly, the proliferation of new skyscrapers has rendered this remarkable device largely ineffective today but if you are lucky enough to be present on a day when the light strikes the Sunscoop, you will witness these magical mirrors come to life, even if just for a brief moment.
At the centre of the eastern façade is the ‘Cathedral Wall’. This 50 metre high double layer glass wall is transparent on the outside but opaque on the inside allowing natural diffused light to enter which exposes the remarkable metal structure.
The concept was decorative and conceived of the use of a mix of direct-view lighting and back-lit panels. The areas to be treated included the chamfered edges of the floors that surround the atrium, the Sunscoop mirrors and the Cathedral Wall.
Creating an internally illuminated light box on the chamfered floor edges proved problematic for structural reasons. Indirect grazing light produced obvious aberrations because of the slight differences between the metal panels.
This is always a problem even with the best quality cladding. Mock-ups and testing found that a direct view LED strip with a 100% diffused lens would produce the best result. The clean lines emphasise and support the architecture and add spectacle and drama to the space.
Previously the upper levels of the atrium were regarded as too dark and the addition of the line of light on each of the five floors which bound the atrium corrected that impression.