Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Frank Gehry's first project in Hong Kong is nearly complete. The building is a 12 story residential block at 53 Stubbs Road, and will provide tenants with panoramic views of Hong Kong Island.
Opus Hong Kong is set to be a record breaker © Jürgen Effner - Fotolia.com
The Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect initially took some persuading to design this building, but soon became fascinated with the idea of working in Hong Kong. Gehry's best-known structures include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. His most recent building was in Manhattan at 8 Spruce Street and is called New York by Gehry and has been designed to have an undulating exterior. His latest building in Hong Kong creates a similar effect.
Apparently the real genius lies in the interior space, which is designed to create intimate spaces while giving incredible views, and each home is designed to be slightly different to the others.
Although rental prices haven’t yet been set, they are likely to be record breaking, even for Hong Kong, where rentals are currently the third most expensive in the world, according to the Wall Street Journal. Luxury homes in the city can cost as much as $50,000 a month. Opus is in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Hong Kong, and location was previously owned by Swire Properties for nearly 60 years. They first approached Frank Gehry in 2004, and the design was unveiled in 2009.
The building is expected to be completed during the second quarter of next year and tenants are expected to include entertainers, diplomats and business executives. People are interested in buying the apartments, but Swire intends to hold on to the residences.
Swire has developed several properties in mainland China and Hong Kong, and isn't worried that the current unrest in the financial markets could dampen interest in the property, as the chief executive quite rightly points out, the kind of people who are interested in living in Opus Hong Kong are unlikely to be affected.
