WPP moves to new Hong Kong campus

The new WPP campus at K11 ATELIER King’s Road in Quarry Bay offers agility and ease of access to the best agency talent, resources and skills through the co-location of all WPP operating companies, and also provides an integrated offering in communications, experience, commerce and technology for clients.

The new fit-out spans 152,000 sq. ft. gross over nine floors, seven of which are connected by an internal staircase, which is one of the key features of the campus. As a testament to the site’s sustainability focus, K11 ATELIER has been awarded WELL Certified™ Platinum and U.S. LEED Platinum®.

With JLL’s strong track record of managing large-scale fit out projects and moves, Project and Development Services (PDS) had supported the client through a two-phase move at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong starting from January and then from May 2020.

While the final construction of the office and staircase were taking place, WPP’s concerns on potential risks were continuously addressed during this critical time to ensure that we concluded the construction and move as planned. Given that WPP had many companies previously located across the city, JLL had assigned an experienced project manager to coordinate the moves and to ensure a smooth process throughout.

The Project Management team was responsible for project and cost management as well as formulating a procurement strategy and leading the reinstatement of the client’s existing offices. The planning of the move was carried out in detail, while every action planned took the COVID-19 situation into account. Alternative approaches were reviewed to streamline the overall programme and mitigate the risk of potential delays.

Ongoing monitoring of and communication about supplies into Hong Kong had to be done to ensure that there was no shortage of materials. Our challenge came when we had to secure a high volume of loose furniture from suppliers in mainland China, as factories were closed for a period during the pandemic.

Through early communications with the client, expectations of delayed delivery were conveyed and an understanding achieved. This was an example of the importance of effective communication with our client to ensure satisfaction.

Concurrently, WPP sought comprehensive facility management services and ultimately engaged JLL. Our facility management team maintains reception, security and mailroom services as well as general repair and maintenance, and technical services on site. Our Energy & Sustainability Services team also advised on the application for the LEED certification of the WPP campus, which is currently being reviewed.

The client has given us an average 95% satisfaction rate on our facility management services as of June 2020 and we have received positive feedback from individual operating companies under WPP. In the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, we prepared and presented a return-to-the-workplace programme with a greater emphasis on cleaning, sanitisation, security and staff communications prior to phase 2 of the move to ensure a safe work environment for the client’s staff and our on-site team.