K11 MUSEA

K11 MUSEA is a shopping mall on paper, but it was built to be visited as much as shopped. It opened in August 2019 as the centrepiece of Victoria Dockside on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, and entry is free. It connects to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station at Exit E and to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station at Exits J1 and J2, so on a wet day you can get from train to atrium without going outside. The design is the reason to come. The ten floors were shaped by a team that included Kohn Pedersen Fox and James Corner Field Operations, and the result feels more like a gallery than a mall. The main atrium is lined in brass and centred on the Gold Ball, a ten-metre-wide sphere wrapped in 285 carved glass panels. More than 50,000 square feet of green walls climb through the building, softening the escalator voids and lower levels. Artworks turn up throughout the mall, on landings, walls and in public spaces, rather than being kept in a single room. On the eighth floor, the Nature Discovery Park is a sustainability garden with a glasshouse. It holds rare plants native to Hong Kong's shores, tropical and native species, an aquarium and butterflies drawn in by the planting. Parts of it are open to the air, so save the outdoor sections for a lull in the rain. Beyond that, there are more than 250 shops, from global fashion and beauty brands to design boutiques, plus restaurants and cafes at every price level. The mall also links to the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel next door. Hours are 10am to 10pm every day, which makes K11 MUSEA a good evening fallback once the museums nearby have closed.