Elements, Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Elements is a large shopping mall
located on 1 Austin Road West
, Tsim Sha Tsui
, Kowloon
, Hong Kong
. It is developed and managed by MTR Corporation
through its subsidiary Premier Management Service.
and is also in the vicinity to the residential complex Union Square
and the Western Harbour Tunnel.
, namely Metal
, Wood
, Water
, Fire
and Earth
. Each zone is designed with a distinctive interior architectural theme that responds to the element, public art
such as large scale sculpture
s are also employed to enhance the respective theme. The Wood Zone is highlighted by the sculpture/furniture "The Trails by Worms" and series of art works made of tree branches; the Water Zone is represented by the water feature "Harmony", which is a series of standalone reflective pillar measure (approximately) 9 meters tall with water running down the surface, creating the illusion of a solid yet liquid fountain
; the Fire Zone is symbolised by the sculpture "White Heat" and the Earth Zone is symbolised by the sculpture "1/9", which is a set of rock formation, the number 9 is associated with the land where the shopping mall is built because the word Kowloon literally means "Nine Dragons".
and the 1600-seat Grand Cinema
, currently the largest cinema complex in Hong Kong.
The mall has ten washrooms, outside which there is a lobby with sitting area and magazine rack. Management said these are conceived for men "to wait for their girlfriends outside the washroom", providing "a decent and comfortable place for them to wait".
Male washrooms are stocked with colognes, aftershaves and electronic shavers while the female washrooms have perfumes and make-up. Staff are on hand to ensure that all these personal items are kept hygienic.
, the Elements features a considerable number of high-end shops, such as:
The shopping mall has great emphasis on fashion and wardrobe with (as of 2008) 58 shops in that category out of a total of 123 shops in the mall.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located on 1 Austin Road West
Austin Road
Austin Road is a road in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was named after John Gardiner Austin, Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1868 to 1879.-Location:...
, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, Kowloon
Kowloon Station
Kowloon Station may refer to:*Kowloon Station, a station on the MTR Tung Chung Line and Airport Express, near West Kowloon Cultural district*Kowloon Station , the south terminus of the British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway at Tsim Sha Tsui , southmost of Kowloon, demolished in 1974*Former...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is developed and managed by MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. MTR owns and runs the Hong Kong MTR metro system, and is also a major property developer and landlord in Hong Kong...
through its subsidiary Premier Management Service.
Description and architectural themes
Elements is located directly above the Kowloon MTR StationKowloon (MTR)
Kowloon is a station on the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. Only about 10,000 passengers use this station daily due to its inconvenient location west of the heart of Kowloon, making it one of the least used stations in the MTR system.This station provides an in-town...
and is also in the vicinity to the residential complex Union Square
Union Square (Hong Kong)
Union Square is a commercial and residential real estate project in Hong Kong on the West Kowloon reclamation. Covering , the site has a gross floor area of , approximately the size of the Canary Wharf development in London...
and the Western Harbour Tunnel.
Zoning
The mall is divided into 5 zones base on the concept of the five elements of NatureFive elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....
, namely Metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
, Wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Each zone is designed with a distinctive interior architectural theme that responds to the element, public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
such as large scale sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s are also employed to enhance the respective theme. The Wood Zone is highlighted by the sculpture/furniture "The Trails by Worms" and series of art works made of tree branches; the Water Zone is represented by the water feature "Harmony", which is a series of standalone reflective pillar measure (approximately) 9 meters tall with water running down the surface, creating the illusion of a solid yet liquid fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
; the Fire Zone is symbolised by the sculpture "White Heat" and the Earth Zone is symbolised by the sculpture "1/9", which is a set of rock formation, the number 9 is associated with the land where the shopping mall is built because the word Kowloon literally means "Nine Dragons".
Facilities
The Elements has a total of 123 shops as of 2008, along with an ice rinkIce rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
and the 1600-seat Grand Cinema
The Grand Cinema
The Grand Cinema is a cinema complex in Hong Kong. It is located in the Elements Mall at Kowloon MTR station. Opened in 2007 with 12 screens and 1,600 seats, it is Hong Kong's largest multiplex cinema. It has an "active", "infrasonic" sound system. It has become a notable venue for independent...
, currently the largest cinema complex in Hong Kong.
The mall has ten washrooms, outside which there is a lobby with sitting area and magazine rack. Management said these are conceived for men "to wait for their girlfriends outside the washroom", providing "a decent and comfortable place for them to wait".
Male washrooms are stocked with colognes, aftershaves and electronic shavers while the female washrooms have perfumes and make-up. Staff are on hand to ensure that all these personal items are kept hygienic.
Notable shops
As a shopping mall targeted at the upper middle classUpper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
, the Elements features a considerable number of high-end shops, such as:
- Diane von FurstenbergDiane von FürstenbergDiane von Fürstenberg, formerly Princess Diane of Fürstenberg , is a Belgian-American fashion designer best known for her iconic wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as the wife of Prince Egon of Fürstenberg...
- Karen MillenKaren MillenKaren Millen is an Icelandic owned women’s designer clothing brand, specialising in tailoring, coats and eveningwear. Karen Millen stores are found throughout the United Kingdom, America, Austria, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and many other European countries.-History:The company was founded in...
- Pringle of ScotlandPringle of ScotlandPringle of Scotland is a luxury knitwear manufacturer and importer. The brand is worn by the likes of Madonna, DB7 , Nicole Kidman, Sophie Dahl, Claudia Schiffer, the television character Alan Partridge and British bands such as The Kooks, Dirty Pretty Things and The Twang...
- PradaPradaPrada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
- GucciGucciThe House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
- Brooks BrothersBrooks BrothersBrooks Brothers is the oldest men's clothier chain in the United States. Founded in 1818 as a family business, the privately owned company is now owned by Retail Brand Alliance, also features clothing for women, and is headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.-History:On April 7,...
- FendiFendiFendi is an Italian high fashion house best known for its "baguette" handbags. It was launched in 1925 as a fur and leather shop in Rome, but today is a multinational luxury goods brand owned by LVMH...
- Montblanc
- Giorgio ArmaniGiorgio ArmaniGiorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
- ChanelChanelChanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
The shopping mall has great emphasis on fashion and wardrobe with (as of 2008) 58 shops in that category out of a total of 123 shops in the mall.
See also
- Union Square (Hong Kong)Union Square (Hong Kong)Union Square is a commercial and residential real estate project in Hong Kong on the West Kowloon reclamation. Covering , the site has a gross floor area of , approximately the size of the Canary Wharf development in London...
- Kowloon StationKowloon (MTR)Kowloon is a station on the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. Only about 10,000 passengers use this station daily due to its inconvenient location west of the heart of Kowloon, making it one of the least used stations in the MTR system.This station provides an in-town...
- Five elements (Chinese philosophy)Five elements (Chinese philosophy)The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....