Designed by: @newofficeworks

Captured by: @frontality___

Located within the twin towers development at Kai Tak, the new flagship SOGO occupies the city’s largest Japanese-style department store. At the centre of the project, a long escalator connects three levels, creating a sequence that briefly separates visitors from the typical department store environment as they move between the 10th-floor atrium and the 12th floor.

The journey is defined by three interconnected volumes formed from a structural grid infilled with backlit shoji panels, giving each space the appearance of a glowing lantern. The first volume has the lowest ceiling, compressing the scale before gradually opening towards the upper level. Depending on the direction of travel, the structure offers different spatial qualities: ascending visitors experience the solidity of the framework, while those descending encounter the softer presence of illuminated shoji panels.

The project developed through a series of studies exploring how lighting, materials and spatial proportions could reinforce the transition between the atrium and the upper floor. Particular attention was given to the changing perception of openness and enclosure throughout the escalator journey.

Elements such as the colonnade facing the 10th-floor atrium and the horizontal wall bands were used to emphasise these shifting conditions. The design process also examined different approaches to the front façade and the relationship between the lighting pattern and the wall panels, testing whether these elements should be integrated into a single composition or expressed as distinct layers.