AIA brings home two wins at Real Estate Asia Awards for Urban Campus

The redevelopment encourages work-life balance amongst employees.

Pan-Asian life insurance group AIA brought home the win in the Office Development of the Year - Hong Kong and the Sustainable Development of the Year - Hong Kong categories at the esteemed Real Estate Asia Awards 2024 for its Urban Campus that highlights the regard the company holds for environmental and sustainability considerations, as well as exceeding industry-recognised green building standards.

The AIA Urban Campus’s adjacency of workspace and leisure spaces is designed to encourage better work-life balance amongst employees and mirror the reality of the vibrant neighbourhoods that surround the redevelopment: that work, play, and life happen together and simultaneously. It represents the company’s principled approach to an ESG strategy that creates greener workspaces and sustainable investments.

The journey to complete the development started in 2018, when the company outlined an ambitious vision of a workplace that would catalyse its innovation, transformation and employee collaboration. AIA retired its old building and redesigned a future-forward and sustainable campus.

The redevelopment has a site area of approximately 3,045 square metres (sqm) and a gross floor area of approximately 23,593 sqm. It is going to bring to life a 22-storey structure that features numerous wellness spaces, including a 200m indoor running track, full-service gym, multipurpose sports hall and a multitude of green and outdoor rest areas.

A light-filled central atria staircase that runs the height of the tower is also going to create collision points, encouraging vertical movement throughout the building, facilitating collaboration.

In contrast to the original building, which utilised a traditional rectangular floor plate, the new building will feature a bent floor plate that maximises light and creates clear vantage points looking out over Happy Valley, Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and the Harbour. It gives the office tower component of the building a distinctive design language.

The AIA Urban Campus project has also achieved LEED, WELL and BEAM PLUS platinum pre-certification and is in the process of obtaining the final certifications. Moreover, during the design and construction stage, the company has sought to address multiple Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations to hold its redevelopment journey to the highest international standards.

A suite of green technology elements such as a biodiesel generator, food waste decomposer, organic food garden and rainwater harvesting system is also going to help reduce the carbon footprint of the building and create a more sustainable work environment. A shuttle bus service with a total seat capacity of 45% of the building’s population is also going to help reduce reliance on private vehicle transport, further reducing carbon emissions.

“With its state-of-the-art amenities, space and technology, the new campus will create an excellent work experience for group office employees and serve as a blueprint for AIA’s future real estate developments,” the company said.

The Real Estate Asia Awards is a prestigious programme designed to honour outstanding real estate projects, developments, and companies throughout Asia that consistently redefine the standards of excellence in the industry and push the boundaries of innovation to make long-lasting impact to the community.

The Real Estate Asia Awards is presented by Real Estate Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional projects or initiatives in the Real Estate industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].