Putting the show in showroom.

MET Studio was approached by Swire to develop its sales and marketing suites for commercial, residential and leisure property in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. The original space was a standard Hong Kong office block with typical low ceilings and uninspiring finishes, however we were able to transform the area completely by the introduction of an immersive interactive exhibition and a 180-degree audio-visual theatre, which transcended its architectural limitations.

In order to amplify the lifestyle advantages of moving to Island East, the theatre presentation was produced as a rollercoaster ride from the air; starting by flying over the mountains of the New Territories, down through the site at street level, and skimming along the water of the harbour to Central Hong Kong, finally darting back towards Island East where it ended by seemingly heading straight into one of the properties for sale using CGI. The entire three-minute film could only be achieved by commissioning a helicopter, a fearless Australian pilot willing to go the extra mile, and a six lens camera hired from Sweden and located under the undercarriage of the helicopter. The film was directed by Graham English, with both him and MET in the helicopter directing the pilot.

The spaces in close proximity to the high impact zones were kept comfortable and relaxing to help staff demonstrate the ‘smart’ technology within the properties. Using controlled lighting and low-key technology, spaces could be reconfigured at the touch of a button, and this ever-changing invisible technology was juxtaposed with its adjacency to the ‘friendly’ city and the abundance of park and recreational spaces.

The object was not to simply say think of changing your office – we were also looking to communicate that a move to Island East would change that person’s life for the better.