Lab 10 Langham Place
Honorato Winkel
Langham Place is a short street in Westminster, central London, England.[1] Just north of Oxford Circus, it connects Portland Place to the north with Regent Street to the south in London's West End. It is, or was, the location of many significant public buildings, and gives its name to the Langham Place group, a circle of early women's rights activists.
There are several major buildings on Langham Place, including All Souls Church, Broadcasting House, and the Langham Hotel. Queen's Hall and St. George's Hall were also here until their destruction during World War II. The area is associated with the architect John Nash, although all but one of his original buildings have been replaced.[2]
Broadcasting House is the BBC's headquarters. It was built in the 1930s in the Art Deco style, designed by the architect George Val Myer. Several of the BBC's national radio stations broadcast from the building. The New Broadcasting House extension, home of BBC News, was built in 2005, and first used for broadcasting in 2013.
All Souls Church, just south of Broadcasting House, has a distinctive circular portico topped with a stone spire. Completed in 1823 and consecrated in 1824, All Souls is the only surviving building in the area that was designed by John Nash.
St. George's Hall was a theatre built in 1867 and closed in 1966. It could accommodate between 800 and 900 persons,[3] or up to 1,500 persons including the galleries. The architect was John Taylor of Whitehall.[4]
The hall was known for three decades for its presentation of the German Reed Entertainments alongside other musical works and lectures. After 1895, it was used for vaudeville, drama, magic shows, as the headquarters of the London Academy of Music, and even as a skating rink. In 1933, it became a BBC broadcasting studio but was shut down after extensive damage from bombing in March 1943. The theatre was demolished in 1966, and the St Georges Hotel and Henry Wood House now stand on the site.
Queen's Hall was a classical music concert hall. It opened in 1893 but was destroyed by an incendiary bomb during the Blitz in 1941. It is best known for being where the Promenade Concerts ("Proms") were founded by Robert Newman, with Sir Henry J. Wood, in 1895.[5]
Langham Place is a commercial complex and shopping centre in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The official opening was on 25 January 2005. The complex occupies two blocks defined by Argyle Street, Portland Street, Shantung Street and Reclamation Street. Shanghai Street separates the two portions of the complex, which are connected via two overhead walkways. A hotel is on one side of the development while the commercial elements are located on the other side.
The complex was the result of an urban renewal project under Land Development Corporation, later known as Urban Renewal Authority (URA). Several city blocks, including the old "Bird Street" marketplace, were demolished to make way for the commercial complex.
Langham Place Tower has a gross floor area of 17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft), and comprises a 59-storey office tower, a 15-level shopping centre with two basement levels, a 665-room hotel and a car park with 250 parking spaces.[5] The complex is connected to the Mong Kok station of the MTR via an underground passage (Exit C3).
The joint venture had spent some HK$4.4 billion to acquire the 12,000 m2 (129,167 sq ft) site since approximately 1989.[7] Before the completion of the project, Great Eagle purchased the URA's stake, increasing its ownership to 100%. It was the single largest project undertaken by Great Eagle,[8] which had geared up significantly to finance the project.[9] An estimated HK$300 million land premium was paid by Great Eagle to the Government.[7] In 2005, wishing to reduce debt levels, Great Eagle sold 4 individual floors of the Langham Place Office Tower.
In June 2008, Champion REIT acquired the Langham Place Mall and Great Eagle's remaining portion of the Langham Place Office Tower for HK$12.5 billion. The consideration valued the retail portion at HK$12,519 per square foot and the office portion at about HK$6,815.[10] Great Eagle retains ownership of the hotel.
Construction of the office tower, which contains 7,200 m2 (78,000 sq ft) of space,[5] began in 1999 under the design of Wong & Ouyang and the Jerde Partnership and was completed in 2004. The tower has 59 office floors above ground and 5 underground floors which are used as a car park. Each of the floors above ground has a floor plate of approximately 1,600 m2 (17,200 sq ft).[5]
The office tower is one of the ten tallest office buildings in Hong Kong when measured up to the highest architectural point, which is the dome. The tower's dome illuminates at night and changes colour slowly in a light show on weekends and holidays. The entire tower is covered in light-reflecting blue glass which is separated at two intervals by grey glass.
Due to the high price of land and the higher yield on retail property in Hong Kong, the Langham Place Mall departs from the common Western model of the flat shopping mall. It is the second "vertical mall" in Hong Kong. The exterior of the mall is characterised by a multi-faceted faade of yellow fissured Brazilian granite stretching from street level to the roof.[citation needed] Another distinctive feature is the 9-storey glass atrium which lets in natural lighting and allows passersby to look through the middle of the building.[citation needed]
On 25 March 2017, the 45-metre (148 ft) long escalator that carries passengers from the fourth to eighth floor failed. With 120 people on board, it reversed direction and sent people careering downward at high speed for about 15 seconds before slowing.[13] A human pile-up formed at the bottom of the escalator and at least 17 people were injured.[14][15]
A subsequent Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) investigation found that the main drive chain had broken, while the safety device designed to monitor the integrity of the drive chain had also failed. It said that these failures had led to the inactivation of the auxiliary brake that would have otherwise stopped the escalator.[16] On 9 March 2018, the Otis Elevator Company (HK) Limited, the contractor responsible for maintaining the escalator, pleaded guilty to several charges of contravening provisions of the Lifts and Escalators Ordinance. The company was fined HK$320,000 by the court. EMSD announced it would continue disciplinary action against the contractor.[13]
The Langham Place Hotel is located at 555, Shanghai Street. Managed by the Langham Hotels International, it is the only five star hotel located in Mong Kok and has a swimming pool on its roof. Its 42 floors houses 280 deluxe, 284 executive, and 101 Langham Hotel Club guest rooms.
For the filming of episode 72 of Running Man, the Langham Place's shopping mall was originally going to be used as a location for a Running Man challenge. However, after learning of the proposed filming site at Langham Place, many fans gathered at the mall, leading to an overcrowding and made it impossible to shoot an episode.
Known for its diverse markets and frenetic street life, Mongkok is one of Hong Kong's most visited shopping districts, attracting residents and tourists alike. In 1988, redevelopment was initiated on a four-block site at the heart of Mongkok that was dominated by aging low-rise housing. Developer Great Eagle Holdings Ltd envisioned for the site a mixed-use project that would serve as an economic catalyst to revitalize the entire district. Langham Place builds on and evolves Mongkok's appeal by supplementing the low-to-mid retail market with high-quality tenants and adding the area's first five-star hotel and class-A office tower.
When the developer appointed JERDE to create a site-sensitive solution for the retail center, the firm responded with a design that blends into and vertically extends Mongkok's vibrant street experience. To draw people into the project, we incorporated multiple entrances from the surrounding streets and subway stations.
The Langham Plaza site is guaranteed the advantage of strong visibility, destined to become an icon and central gathering place for the area. Further bordered by two primarily pedestrian streets, the site sits along Liansheng Road and Chunxi Road--the major pedestrian artery running through the CBD. Enhancing public accessibility, the site is adjacent to a subway station for lines 2 and, and a future bus terminal, offering the opportunity to transform the area into a bustling urban destination and transportation hub that will serve as an international landmark.
Qualifying Brilliant members (Diamond tier or above) can visit the Concierge at participating DFS Hong Kong and Macau stores^ listed below to present valid digital Brilliant membership card and register or log in as DFS CIRCLE member to redeem offer coupons and enjoy corresponding benefits.
From now till Feb. 28, 2025, Brilliant by Langham members staying with participating Hong Kong hotels* or through Brilliant online channels, are entitle to earn both Brilliant by Langham points and DFS CIRCLE points by every qualified spending with DFS in-room online luxury service and payment.
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