Located in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong — the most densely populated place in the world — this high-rise residential tower exemplifies both the challenges and potential of hyper-urban living. Its surrounding context is comprised of bustling, rapidly gentrifying commercial streets, juxtaposed with an older neighbourhood of residential buildings and smaller local businesses. Seeking to capture the complex, ever-changing relationship between these two elements, AXIA’s design involves a lyrical, shimmering interplay between two main materials: tile and glass. The building’s envelope is composed of an interweaving mixture of fully glazed curtainwall and ceramic cladding.