The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus

Mix of Heritage & Modern Design

The Mount Davis site was originally part of the Jubilee Battery. Its strategic location provided a great advantage in defending the city during the second world war. In 1961, the Hong Kong police force took it over and the space functioned as a detention centre.

In 2013, the government granted the right to construct on the site to The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, with support from Revery Architecture (formerly known as Bing Thom Architects) and ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions Hong Kong, who are proud to be part of this project.

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

The campus lies on the steep slope hovering right above the heritage buildings. The site contains revitalized Grade 3 heritage buildings so the architecture firm must preserve some exterior parts and interior elements such as the fireplace, wooden flooring & stairs, main granite walls and pillars that are shown in the photos. The modern interior design helps to humanize the space with heritage. 

Most entrance doors in the building are double doors and therefore, we offered the ABLOY concealed door closer for this project. The mechanical coordinator keeps the active door open when the inactive one is open, and the active door starts to close when the inactive one is almost closed. After the active door is closed, it latches the inactive door.

Some facilities are located in the heritage or exposed outdoors, so the ironmongery lifespan could be affected greatly by the changing temperature and humidity when compared to the indoor classrooms. For this reason, AAHK provided some durable products that can stand against critical weather. The ABLOY concealed door closer is extremely light to open but strong enough to close heavy door. Its wide operating temperature range (-15 to 45°C) helps to resolve the possible environmental issue. 

SARGENT’s 7800 Series Mortise Lock is used because it is certified and exceeds ANSI / BHMA A156.13, Series 1000, Operational Grade 1 and Security Grade 1 with all standard trims. The patented SARGENT Mortise Locks are designed and constructed with high quality components to provide maximum security, performance and durability. These locks represent over a century of innovation and experience in manufacturing hardware and are the industry’s benchmark for mortise locks: strong, durable, flexible, innovative and secure.

The main design focus is the sustainable environment for learning. Therefore, a high performance façade are used instead of a concrete wall. Large amount of daylight is captured, helping reduce the energy consumption in the building. 
Plenty of wood in light tones was used to soften the heritage’s concrete parts. It brings a nice touch of warmth in the classroom, with a relaxation space that encourages social interchange. Together with the minimal designed door, all the pantries and storage rooms are hidden. Even the door closers are hidden in the wooden frame to echo the minimalist design.