Historically, The Peak has always been about exclusivity. Residents were privileged senior officials, diplomats and taipans of major 'Hongs' (trading companies). They were not only wealthy, but enjoyed supreme social status.
But today, privilege gets a facelift. The former official residence of the Consulate General of France at 8 Pollock's Path has been bought by Ryoden Development for HK$580 million, with the market eagerly awaiting its new look.
The former taipan house of Swire, at 53 Stubbs Road, has just been built into the glorious OPUS. The project was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, who created the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
'This site has a special place in Swire Group's history,' says Martin Cubbon, chief executive of Swire Properties.
'The building has been designed to enhance and reflect Hong Kong's distinctive landscape, and is custom made for the city it overlooks,' Gehry says.
Elsewhere on The Peak, a consortium formed by Wharf Holdings and Nan Fung Development is working on a major site at Mount Nicholson Road bought for HK$10.4 billion at public auction in 2010. The group is planning to build town houses measuring from about 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft each, plus two 13-storey apartment towers.
'It is rare to see this sort of scale at The Peak, where there is no new land supply.
