Gingko House: The Power of Social Architecture

Gingko House: The Power of Social Architecture

GROUNDWORK Architects & Associates Ltd.

Gingko House is a local social enterprise, known for their work in providing employment opportunities for the elderly. However faced with lease problems they were forced to move their restaurant. Groundwork was thus invited to help redesign and rebrand their new Vietnamese restaurant located in a sixty year old building called Alhambra Building in Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong. The Gingko had chosen us for the work not only because of our past successful restaurant design cases, but perhaps for our philosophy and humanistic approach towards architecture. Gingko House’s new restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant called “Viet-Street”. For this project we wish to honour the age of the Alhambra building, as well as acknowledge Gingko House’s long history in helping the elders. We decided to create an environment where visitors are able to feel like they were transported to Saigon back in the 1960s.