Hong Kong Central’s Solstice Culinary Space © Snøhetta
Curated by ArchiRev Editorial | Feature Story | Published May 9th, 2026 | Source: Snøhetta
Typologies: Restaurant, Hospitality, Destination
Status: Completed
Location: 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong (5F: SOL Restaurant and Solstice Cooking Studio; 6F: Uncle Quek)
Client: ZS Hospitality Group
Size: 5F: 170 m² / 6F: 170 m²
Scope: Interior Design
Duration: 2024–2025
Photography: Harold de Puymorin | HDP Photography, with cooking class shots by Benson Wong.
Solstice was designed by Snøhetta as a culinary hub located in the busy Central District of Hong Kong. Spanning two levels with a total of 340 square meters, Solstice offers an upscale dining experience, a casual café, and a cooking school, all in one location. The central theme of this restaurant/bistro/cooking school is a profound appreciation for nature and the cycles of the sun.
While each of the three dining areas has its own distinct decor and function, they all feel like separate chapters in a same book. As you walk from one location to the next, you will notice a progressive shift in ambiance, lighting, and energy, just like we notice subtle changes as we move through the seasons.
An interior view of the kitchen and eating spaces © Snøhetta
The solstices—the times when the sun is at its highest or lowest point in the sky—provide the general inspiration and attitude for the dining building. The concept revolves around the subject of constant change and balance, and it is reflected in every aspect of the restaurant/bistro/cooking school’s design, including the materials used, how they are lit, and how the various rooms are organized within the structure.
A focused, darker-toned cooking studio © Snøhetta
Located on the upper deck, the Solstice Cooking Studio radiates cool tranquilly through its many surfaces—specifically, the tile and steel countertops serve as grounding and weight-bearing masses with balanced emotional vibration. This feeling allows for increased attention to be developed while cooking creatively. The dining area is larger in physical dimensions; therefore, the materials in this area are much more expansive & include warm wood and terracotta as well as dynamic reflections, providing for natural light to fill this area, creating a sense of summer joyfulness.
A restaurant with lighter materials and warm natural lighting © Snøhetta
Solstice was designed by Snøhetta as a culinary hub located in the busy Central District of Hong Kong. Spanning two levels with a total of 340 square meters, Solstice offers an upscale dining experience, a casual café, and a cooking school, all in one location. The central theme of this restaurant/bistro/cooking school is a profound appreciation for nature and the cycles of the sun.
Throughout this project, light is one of the most important aesthetic qualities used in the entire building; there are two defining lighting elements in the building—one representing the sun and the other representing the moon—placed at either end of the studio’s interior and provide representative views of both the transition from the day to night and the overall illumination in the studio.
The studio location also features concave ceilings, which provide a unique architectural feature for the space; additionally, the concave ceiling provides an even diffused light source within the dining area and provides a continuous line of light sources throughout the dining room that mimics the shape of the concave ceiling and offers a subtle reference to the cyclical nature of our solar system.
The dining area’s sculptural lighting feature © Snøhetta
Integrated lighting in a concave ceiling feature © Snøhetta
Solstice is more than just a restaurant; part of its design aids in the sharing of many types of seasonal events, community meals, culinary education/professional development, and different ways to represent a diverse range of cultures, both locally and internationally, through architectural elements. The architectural design of Solstice invites guests to enjoy themselves, spend time gathering with one another, and create a sense of community by sharing a meal with others. In turn, this reinforces our ability to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between time and our relationships.
Shared tables for shared meals © Snøhetta
Through Snøhetta’s architectural design at Solstice, their approach to the restaurant experience was transformed. By cleverly combining the eating experience with the various spaces used to prepare and serve food, as well as the natural patterns of time and change, Snøhetta created an experience that not only provides food to guests but also gives guests an authentic impression and experience of time, connection to nature, and adjusting guests to their relationship with others.
Casual dining moment or interior atmosphere © Snøhetta
