so330 | Hong Kong

There is a small tranquil oasis within the hustle and bustle of Wan Chai. Hidden behind a row of paidongs or street stalls in English, is so330,  a cafe managed by New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. “so” refers to both its mission as a social enterprise; “so”also  translates as “非常”, standing for its vision to go beyond the standard services offered by NGOs. 

so330 aims to equip Persons in Recovery (PIR) and persons with disabilities (PWD) with valuable work skills in running a cafe and becoming baristas, and at the same time, provide a platform for abled-bodied customers to understand, appreciate, and normalise everyday interactions with persons of mental and physical disabilities. 

Hence, the cafe’s design becomes a common platform where customers must find the space relaxing and welcoming; and staff members, whether they are visually-impaired or wheelchair-bound, feel physically safe and mentally fulfilling to work there. Shades of earth tones and timber accents were picked as the main colour theme for the cafe space to create a peaceful and calm environment for customers. Human-centric and accessible features are incorporated into the design, with a ramp to negotiate the kerb and entrance step, and barista tables of varying heights catering to both able-bodied and wheelchair users.  

Despite the common mentality to optimise every inch of restaurant space in a busy, high footfall commercial district like Wan Chai, we appreciate the opportunity to work with so330 to realise its vision of creating a comfortable dining area with ample separation between tables. This is partly done to accommodate the movement of staff requiring wheelchairs and walking sticks, but also to create quiet reflective spaces for customers to enjoy their meals. To this end, onebite also designed a set of translucent roller blinds that could be deployed from the ceiling to partition the dining area into several single-seating space. This is the first solo-dining experience in Hong Kong which allows customers to clear their headspace to reflect, unwind, and calm their restless minds amidst busy workdays. 

The use of translucent window walls and floor-to-ceiling glass folding doors infused the space with the gentle, diffused sunlight and shadows that changes throughout the day, creating a welcoming and therapeutic ambience. 

Employing mostly movable tables and seats, so330 is designed to be flexible in its spatial arrangement, allowing the dining area to be converted in a venue for talks, workshops, and gallery spaces to display outstanding PIR artworks, further emphasising its objective to empower PIR and PWD.