The Henderson named ‘World’s Best Property’ as Hong Kong shines in building awards
Developer overcame problems to install curved glass panels that were heat and typhoon resistant, among other green and energy-saving features
When Kevin Ng Shu-keung inspected the mock-up of a curved glass panel in 2019 to be mass-produced for the facade of The Henderson, a grade A commercial tower in Hong Kong, he was shocked to discover its flaws.
The geometrically complex glass panels had never been used in Hong Kong before and his team had to put them through rounds of tests and trials at a residential construction site in Sham Shui Po, said Ng, senior deputy general manager of project management at property giant Henderson Land.
It took his team and partners another year or so to iron out the issues with the glass panels, along with other setbacks throughout the six years of construction, before The Henderson was completed in 2024.
“We went through many setbacks, but we squarely faced the problems and resolved them instead of chickening out,” Ng said in an interview.
The team’s efforts were recognised earlier this month when The Henderson won three prizes, including World’s Best Property, at the UK-based International Property Awards, a prestigious global award in real estate development, architecture and design.
“I still recall the first question my boss asked when we chose the Zaha Hadid Architects design scheme in 2017: ‘Can this be realised?’” Ng said as he paid tribute to his team and their partners.