One of the most anticipated additions to Hong Kong’s waterfront skyline is the Victoria Dockside, which houses an art-focused shopping complex (K11 MUSEA), a five-star hotel (Rosewood), premium office spaces and private residences. Sustainability also plays a significant role at Victoria Dockside, and resonates throughout the design and operations of the immense project.

We recently visited the development’s Nature Discovery Park with Venisa Chu, senior operations manager as well as senior manager on sustainability at New World Development Company, for a closer look.

A Little Background

Venisa started her career as an electrical engineer before transitioning into business strategy consulting following her MBA. She works with non-profits and the public sectors, and has been in her current role with New World for over a year.

5 Things You Should Know About Sustainability at K11, According to Venisa

1. It’s a sustainability museum

K11 MUSEA’s Nature Discovery Park prides itself on being the first urban biodiversity “museum” in Hong Kong that focuses on sustainability-themed education programs. The park is part of our efforts towards a greener, more sustainable future and encompasses a 600-square-meter outdoor space with a vegetable and fruit garden overlooking Victoria Harbour, alongside an aquarium full of live coral and local breeds of fish. We work with a local farmer to grow 15 to 20 varieties of seasonal produce in our garden, as well as an aeroponics company for vertical farming inside our glass farmhouse.

2. Small details add up

The word “sustainability” can seem daunting and it can be hard to know where to start. We incorporate sustainability at K11 MUSEA in big and small ways, from growing the largest green wall in Hong Kong (spanning 15,240 square meters), to collecting rainwater to irrigate our green spaces and for usage throughout the mall, to having onsite composting for our F&B vendors. We reuse wood chips from the Jockey Club’s horse stables in our gardens, plant seedlings in Nespresso pods, and use combinations of various plants to repel pests rather than chemicals. Solar panels help supplement our energy consumption at Victoria Dockside, and we are introducing bulk purchasing of environmentally friendly packaging to our F&B partners.

3. Everyone chips in 

K11 and New World, as a group, works with various partners on sustainability issues. The Jane Goodall Institute provides environmental conservation knowledge for our docent-guided tours as well as advises on the curriculum of our soon-to-be-launched sustainability programs for kids. V-Cycle recycles plastic bottles into products like our tote bag, just to highlight some of the partnerships we have.

4. Education on sustainability starts from early childhood

There are two early childhood education programs about sustainability that we offer at the Nature Discovery Park. The first level is for two to three year olds, while the second level is geared towards four to six year olds. The programs range from five- to seven-week curriculums and are designed by the Jane Goodall Institute. We really want kids to get out there in the grass and dirt to learn about nature, and to learn to respect nature.

5. The park is open to everyone

Whether you’re looking for a quiet spot for a stroll, or for some nature knowledge via a docent-led tour, or want to try your hand at farming, the Nature Discovery Park is open to everyone. Check out the K11 MUSEA app to book your visit!

Looking towards the future? 

K11 is now in six greater China locations, and we’re always looking for new ways to incorporate sustainability designs and operations into the plans, whether it’s upgrading our recycling and composting programs, to new energy sources like solar panels, to managing and reducing waste via smarter logistics. We hope to open more education programs at K11 MUSEA soon, because small changes add up to big results.