Hong Kong Jockey Club - Hay Market Restaurant

Joyce Wang | Aedas | Hong Kong | 2013

Lightswitch Architectural’s Hong Kong office worked with Wang and architect Aedas to design lighting that is both functional and stylish.

What It Was

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has brought a little of London to Hong Kong. As part of its ongoing improvement efforts, the club opened a British-themed restaurant at its Sha Tin racecourse. With its grand, modern interiors designed by interior designer Joyce Wang and its quintessentially English fare, Hay Market gives guests a taste of the UK.

What We Did

Lightswitch Architectural’s Hong Kong office worked with Wang and architect Aedas to design lighting that is both functional and stylish. Using a combination of theatrical and architectural luminaires, the lighting enables guests to easily view the racecourse below through the double-height window wall and place bets on complimentary iPads, while still evoking a warm glow that heightens the elegant atmosphere. Traditional Edison-style tungsten lamps were used in decorative fixtures for their amber glow. Over the bar, theatrical lighting was used for dramatic effect below, while narrow-beam LED downlights reveal the bar’s oval form. A horseshoe-shaped stairway leads from the main floor to two separate private dining rooms on the mezzanine level. Within the double-height ceiling, unobtrusive black spots are powerful enough to illuminate tables on main floor below, while visually receding into the ceiling plane above.

Why It Worked

Lightswitch Architectural collaborated closely with the design team and local manufacturers to ensure that the designers’ vision was achieved within the project’s very limited timeline. This posed several challenges, including sourcing the tungsten lamps—a non-standard item in Hong Kong—on schedule and ensuring that the high-power theatrical lighting fixtures requested by Wang could be modified to meet energy code. Our Hong Kong team rose to the occasion, exceeding the client’s expectations and giving them a space that is fit for the Queen. Photos: Robert Tran Photography