The ‘100 Thing Challenge’ aims to help people get back to basics, and a few believers are keen to see the idea blossom in shambolic HK
One Hong Kong company encouraging the concept is Provest Holdings a company founded by managing partners Henning Voss and Christoph Bannerman, both originally from Germany. The firm is building its first “slow home” show flat in Sheung Wan, aiming to launch the concept this year.
Voss says slow-home fundamentals are especially relevant to Hong Kong, where developments and renovations are often rushed without paying attention to detail. “Apartments in Hong Kong are small and thus it’s even more important to take your time and custom design a space for the people who will eventually live there,” he says. “We go one step further and say that a home should also be a conduit to better health.”
The Sheung Wan concept incorporates health in the form of air purification, water filtration, light therapy and third-party-certified green building materials. The kitchen, designed to promote healthy food preparation, has an integrated herb garden, ultrasonic food washer (that supposedly generates ozone and ultrasonic waves to kill germs and extend the shelf life of food), wheat-grass station and juicer as standard. All appliances have the highest energy efficiency rating, of course.
It is not easy to fulfil all 12 criteria of the slow home movement in Hong Kong, Voss says. “For example, as one normally rebuilds existing structures, rather than building a new home, it is impossible to redirect an apartment towards the sun [orientation criterion]. Yet it is possible to increase the amount of daylight coming into an apartment.”