We were commissioned by The Link REIT to reimagine two of Hong Kong's fresh food markets, Lok Fu and Tai Yuen, as part of a wider ambition to change the image and atmosphere of the territory's wet markets. Across both projects, our focus was on the balance between commercial performance and cultural identity: reconfiguring layouts to work harder for traders and landlords, while protecting the freshness, energy and 'organised chaos' that make Hong Kong's markets so distinctive. Rather than sanitising these spaces, we worked to elevate them, giving them greater prominence within their communities while preserving what shoppers and traders love most about them.
TAI YUEN MARKET
Tai Yuen Market forms part of The Link REIT’s wider portfolio of Hong Kong fresh food markets, and our work here centred on the informal trading habits – ‘spill-out’ stalls and unauthorised trading – that had built up around the market over time. Rather than imposing a rigid clean-up, we focused on tidying the market’s operation in a way that respected how traders actually worked within the space.
“a glamorous affair… offering more of a relaxed and elegant vibe… a super spot”
Hot Dinners
The 5,120 sq metre site called for a careful hand: we resisted the temptation to over-sanitise the environment, keeping the freshness and immediacy that shoppers associate with Chinese wet markets at the heart of the design. The outcome is a market that operates more legibly and efficiently, while still holding on to the atmosphere and energy that make it a genuine community asset.
Before the regeneration
LOK FU MARKET
We were commissioned to redesign Lok Fu Market, a 5,000 sq metre market adjacent to Lok Fu MTR Station that had fallen into disrepair. Our brief was to give the market greater prominence within the local community, and central to this was a significant commercial improvement: reconfiguring the stall layout increased the gross-to-net ratio from 38% to 50%, directly boosting rental income for the client.
To achieve this, we introduced a diagonal route through the market’s stall grid, running around the perimeter of the building to provide direct access to the service yards. We repositioned the fruit and vegetable traders into low-rise stalls at the centre of the market, improving sightlines and visibility for shoppers throughout. At street level, we opened the entrances so they spill out into the surrounding public realm, framed by eye-catching artwork and signage that announces the market’s presence and reconnects it with the neighbourhood around it.
Before the regeneration
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