Fostering the next generation of Hong Kong’s content creators, Matchbox furthers its expansion into new media and content creation. The 900 sqm facility combines a film Incubator studio complete with full scale sets and editing studios, with a Seminar hall for the presentation and exploration of ideas in film and media.

With a view to the future through the lens of the past, it was to be ensured that the print media roots of the company were remembered. The raw mechanical beauty of the house sized printers and towering cylindrical paper stacks in the adjacent printing halls were worthy totems. The amber glow of the lithographic plate room became the project’s signature.

Entering through the first-floor lobby visitors and creators alike are welcomed in the long corridor where glass windows and layered mirrors allow you to be both at once an observer and the lead in the show. Lighting is used to control the mood with orange light battens and hidden screens creating a dramatic entry to the weekly premier events.

At the end of the corridor an orange glow draws visitors to the gallery beyond. The galvanised steel and glass bar set the scene in the pre-function area with a series of acrylic pivoting doors separating the gallery from the main seminar space. The main hall celebrates the performer with an LED wall literally centre stage. The grey and white palette leaves the theatre to the show with orange and white light bars playfully arranged behind milky polycarbonate panels.

Like the amber glow of the lithographic plate room Matchbox looks to create an environment where new ideas are nurtured while they’re in the process of creation. Overall, it’s a space to inspire the next generation of Hong Kong creators.

Team:

Architects: Beauty Bloody Bonza

Photographer: Jason Edwards