A sneak peek at our sustainability-led coastal gardens for the Oxagon development on the Red Sea

A sneak peek at our sustainability-led coastal gardens for the Oxagon development on the Red Sea, including seawater greenhouses and solar harvesting, restorative reefscapes, stepped wadis and coastal terraces as biofilters, and saline tolerant native planting. A biophilic system to allow nature to thrive and to achieve net gain sustainability goals in collaboration with WilkinsonEyre architects and Buro Happold engineers.

Recapping 2021...

Some great moments in 2021 from the brilliant family at Morphis. Looking ahead to a diverse and exciting range of developments across Asia and beyond for 2022. Here’s to a great year ahead for you all.

Studio City Phase 2 in Macau nearing completion

Construction time as Melco celebrates Studio City Phase Two topping out ceremony. Designed by renowned international architects Zaha Hadid Architects and landscape architects Morphis, the USD 1.3 billion Studio City entertainment and leisure destination will offer one of Asia’s largest indoor & outdoor water parks, a six-screen Cineplex comprising two regular houses and four VIP suites.

Mark Blackwell joins the jury for IDA International Design Awards 2021

Morphis director, Mark Blackwell joins the jury for the IDA International Design Awards 2021 to recognize, celebrate and promote exceptional design visionaries and discover emerging talent in Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic and Fashion Design worldwide. Learn more about the awards at www.idesignawards.com.

Wuhan regeneration project due for completion in 2022

Our Guiyuan Temple regeneration project In the Heart of Wuhan, the city’s most significant urban renewal initiative, is under construction and due for completion in 2022. With an enhanced focus on human wellbeing and social behaviour in the public realm, the design draws inspiration from delicate cultural approaches balanced with contemporary urban design.

Hong Kong University Design Studio Review

Morphis’ Creative Director was a guest critic for the MLA design thesis reviews at Hong Kong University earlier this week. Big congratulations to all those graduating to enhance our design talent in Hong Kong.

Nature’s gift to the residents – our latest masterplan for new luxury residences in Tai Po, Hong Kong

The landscape vison embodies the surrounding nature reserve’s DNA, emotionally, ecologically and visually as an everchanging landscape. A gentle, yet expansive energy radiates into the development as a destination of fun and discovery, symbolic of the natural jungle. Construction is due for completion in 2023.

Morphis are finalists in the UK 2020 Landscape Institute Awards

Morphis are finalists in the UK 2020 Landscape Institute Awards. We are delighted that our Shenzhen Bay Avenue development has been shortlisted as a finalist for the UK Landscape Institute Awards 2020 for Excellence in Masterplanning and Urban Design.  This year the Landscape Institute will have their first-ever fully online Awards ceremony on Thursday 26th November, when winners will be announced.

Mark Blackwell, director of Morphis commented, ‘We are delighted to be a finalist in this year’s Landscape Institute awards. Designed in close collaboration with architects WilkinsonEyre, the creation of new and contemporary public realm integrated with city life is crucial to transform and unite Shenzhen with its waterfront. It will be spectacular and dynamic, beyond imagination, rooted Shenzhen’s diverse community.'

‘How Sticky is COVID-19?’ - Virtual Design Sprint with Buro Happold

A pleasure to be part of Buro Happold’s ‘How Sticky is COVID-19?’ Virtual Design Sprint session, sharing insights from around the globe and evaluating innovative new approaches to integrated design for all.

‘One key consideration coming out of the COVID-19 lifestyle  is the need to further enhance one’s physical and emotional well-being, whether in an office, in the public realm or at home. There is unprecedented health, economic and social uncertainty in the world and as designers of the built environment, we have a unique opportunity to re-evaluate and create unique and memorable experiences.

We need a greater responsibility for what we refer to as the inner beauty of invisible design. The Danish urbanist, Jan Gehl* neatly summarises this approach as, ‘first life, then spaces, then buildings.’ In other words, our responsibility is designing for people by making conscious decisions towards emotive design.

As designers, we are responsible for creating meaningful experiences, to connect to the soul of a place and orchestrate an ensemble of meaningful moments. Crucial to this is the health and wellbeing movement and the ability to ‘connect with nature.’ Adaptive nature can create a living sensorium, connected spaces of tactile experience with an understanding of the symbolism of place. Protecting and enhancing these essential ingredients is key to celebrating the unique identity of place and experience for our ever evolving needs.’

*J. Gehl (2011) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. Island Press

Peak Road Residences, Hong Kong Approaches Completion

Approaching completion for one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive residential developments at The Peak, preserving the site’s mature banyan trees to create a unique contemporary arrival experience for residents and visitors alike. Designed in collaboration with architects PDP Ldn and interior designers SLD

Morphis complete Mount Nicholson residences, Hong Kong

Morphis have executed a number of exclusive residences at Mount Nicholson, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior where the garden rooms are extended outdoors to connect with nature whilst celebrating the unique contextual landscape of both the Peak and Victoria Harbour

Morphis featured as one of Landizer's '10 Emerging Landscape Practices to Watch'

We are delighted to be featured as one of the global landscape architecture magazine, Landizer’s ‘10 Emerging Landscape Practices to Watch'.’

‘As we celebrate World Landscape Architecture Month, we take a look at some of the most promising emerging landscape architecture practices that exemplify innovative and experimental aspects of the landscape architectural profession. These firms often work across disciplines and scales, and manage to push the envelope despite their small size, geographical constraints or youth.

Emerging Hong Kong based practice, Morphis was founded by Mark Blackwell in 2014. The young and cosmopolitan firm is currently working on projects across the world in a range of scales and typologies including Asia, the Middle East and Europe for public realm, commercial, retail, luxury residential and hospitality developments. Morphis went on to win the 2019 World Architecture Festival award for the international competition winning Shenzhen Bay urbainism development in the ‘Future Project – Infrastructure’ category.

Read the full article on www.landizer.net

Morphis exhibit at the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \ Architecture

As part of the 2019 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \Architecture, Morphis and WilkinsonEyre have curated '2×2 = Interconnected', an exhibition exploring our collaborative work on Shenzhen Bay Avenue East Extension. Showing until 15th March 2020 at The Mills, Hong Kong.

For more details see http://uabbhk.org/en/

Great strides on our Shangri-La Fuzhou development

Great strides on our Shangri-La Fuzhou mixed-use development as we prepare the detailed documentation for works on site, including the jasmine sculptures celebrating the city flower.

An expansion of the existing 5-star Shangri-La Hotel which was built in 2005, the development includes 50,000 sqm retail podium, cinema, food courts, plaza spaces, outdoor and alfresco dining areas, and a direct connection to a new subway station, as well as the hotel and a 100m tall Grade A office tower.

Morphis’s design approach celebrates the experiential journey of guests, visitors and the local community to connect with local character, culture and history to enrich urban life in Fuzhou. The development is anticipated to be completed by 2022.

Morphis win World Architecture Festival award in ‘Future Project of the Year: Infrastructure’ category

From 70 countries, studios from around the world gathered at this year’s World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, where it was announced that the Shenzhen Bay Avenue East Extension, designed in collaboration with WilkinsonEyre, won the Infrastructure Future Project award from 12 global finalists.

The judges commented: "This project creates pedestrian life on different levels. It has a dynamic, fluid, functionally justified shape that weaves between the buildings to the water. There is active urban intervention creating a diverse public space."⠀

WAF brings together a community of global talent representing the design industry’s most innovative projects to celebrate, learn, exchange and be inspired.

Morphis article for the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design journal ‘Urbanie & Urbanus’

Check out our latest article for the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design journal ‘Urbanie & Urbanus’ where Morphis’s Mark Blackwell talks about ‘Hong Kong’s Living Roots - Nature’s Gift to the Community.’

Download available at www.hkiud.org/articles/uu/201909-UU.pdf

Morphis complete Hilton Conrad in Shenyang ahead of hotel opening on 1st September

A moment to cherish as we make the final touches to the Hilton Conrad in Shenyang before her opening on 1st September as part of the wide mixed-use development with hang Lung Properties.

Morphis were commissioned to collaborate with architects KPF and interior designers Wilson Associates, New York, celebrating the harmony between nature and society; a design approach inspired by radiating diamonds; an integrated narrative that makes the transition from open landscape to luxury hotel entrance including arrival gardens and water features.

Morphis shortlisted for World Architecture Festival 2019 award

We are delighted that our Shenzhen Bay Avenue project, in collaboration with architects WilkinsonEyre, is one of the shortlisted finalists for the World Architecture Festival 2019, the world’s biggest architectural awards programme featuring projects from 70 countries. The project will be presented live to an international jury at the festival in Amsterdam in early December 2019 and the winning projects will be announced at the WAF Gala Dinner.

Shangri-La Fuzhou mixed-use development wins 2019 Asia Pacific Property Award

Morphis are delighted to be part of the winning team at the 2019 Asia Pacific Property Awards for its design of the future Shangri-La Mixed-use Development in Fuzhou, China, which won in the ‘Mixed-use’ category.

An expansion of the existing 5-star Shangri-La Hotel which was built in 2005, the mixed-use development includes 50,000 sqm retail podium, cinema, food courts, plaza spaces, outdoor and alfresco dining areas, and a direct connection to a new subway station, as well as the hotel and a 100m tall Grade A office tower. Morphis’s design approach celebrates the experiential journey of guests, visitors and the local community to connect with local character, culture and history to enrich urban life in Fuzhou. Construction has already commenced on the new, multi-dimensional development with an expected completion date targeted for 2022.

The International Property Awards celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry.

Construction commences for Tong Zhou, Beijing luxury residences

A contemporary, yet locally inspired lifestyle experience for the exclusive 2.3m sq.ft residential and retail development in the emerging district in Beijing as part of an integrated community that makes the transition from open landscape to retail street. A new experiential narrative driven by sense of place and origin; a landscape for a new generation of whom life, business and pleasure seamlessy intertwine, creating a sense of intuition, drama and vibrancy with a personalised service

A contemporary, yet locally inspired lifestyle experience as part of an integrated luxury community that makes the transition from open landscape to retail street - a new experiential narrative driven by sense of place and origin. A landscape for a new generation of whom life, business and pleasure seamlessy intertwine, creating a sense of intuition, drama and vibrancy with a personalised service - a destination for body and mind.

The Great Lawn is one of the largest private lawns in Beijing at over 6,000m2 of imaginative play, both multi-functional and integrated within the wider landscape park, framed by vistas and series of individually designed garden rooms to create an extension of residential ownership, including the Contemplation Gardens, Chan Sect Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Tai Chi Gardens and an interactive contemporary playscape to engage all ages of children.

With over 500 semi-mature trees, 1,500 linear metres of hedge, 9,000m2 of flowering shrubs and herbaceous planting as an exploration of spacing, rhythm and the repetition of single elements; the landscaped gardens as an extension of your home. A collective landscape that offers a rich and multi-layered experience - places with an emotional depth that derives from the ideas behind its design. A balance of simplicity between the modern and the romantic; between subtle intervention and a richness of form and texture in planting. The landscape gardens set the scene without imposing a story – the garden as a place of imaginative possibility.