K11 Art House is a cinema complex at K11 MUSEA on Victoria Dockside, Hong Kong. It is operated by UA Cinemas and was designed by the Hong Kong-based firm Oft Interiors.
The flagship of K11 MUSEA
The cinema covers 6,034 square metres (65,000 sq ft) and is the flagship theatre of K11 MUSEA, a retail and entertainment development that opened in 2019. K11 MUSEA was planned and developed over more than a decade by the K11 Group, which local entrepreneur Adrian Cheng founded in 2008.
The development is a large waterfront regeneration project on the historic site of Holt's Wharf, in the busy Tsim Sha Tsui area of the Kowloon Peninsula. It has been described as an art mall and a cultural retail destination.
Nine theatres under one roof
The design team was led by Oft founders CM Jao and Ken Cheung, with Shanny Cheung and Tobey Ngai. Together they created a multiplex of nine multi-purpose theatres. Capacity ranges from the 30-seat VIP House to the 376-seat IMAX theatre. The complex also includes several restaurant and bar options and Hong Kong's first pop-up store for the digital music service MOOV.
An alpine mood
Oft has designed several cinemas in China and Hong Kong, including another UA cinema in the West Gate Mall in Shanghai. K11 Art House takes a different direction from those. Stonework and dark wood beams, floors and fixtures refer to the building styles and materials of the Swiss Alps.
The aim is to make going to the cinema feel intimate and special, closer to a visit to a lodge than to a standard multiplex.
As a general point, natural materials such as stone and timber can make large public interiors feel warmer and more personal, especially in spaces where people stay for several hours.
Project credits
- Project: K11 Art House, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, Hong Kong
- Cinema operator: UA Cinemas
- Interior design: Oft Interiors (CM Jao, Ken Cheung, Shanny Cheung, Tobey Ngai)
- Source: The Cool Hunter