Situated on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in Sheung Wan, Shun Tak Centre is a transportation hub with ferry services to Macau and China. While some people go to Shun Tak Centre to shop, many go to Shun Tak in order to leave Hong Kong for Macau or China. Therefore, the mall is more like a departure point with some eateries and retail outlets thrown in.
Built up on a semi-open car park, the mall is not entirely shielded from the vehicle sound. Perhaps what makes the mall’s soundscape distinctive is the conjunction of car horn sounds and ferry engine sounds. Arriving at the ferry terminal concourse, you may find yourself walk right into an assault on senses on a busy day. The sonic environment is incredibly rich: loud talking of travellers waiting for ferries, many of the families which may be carrying crying babies on shoulders; children clamouring; travellers calling relatives to join them; luggage wheels sound especially when travellers hurry to board the ferry; dodgy people shouting and trying to sell tickets to Macau. The diversity of sonic components makes an incredibly rich soundscape.
Shun Tak Centre handles the in and out of countless travellers every day. Understandably, its environment is inevitably noisy. But since we have to spend time waiting for ferry and staying becomes temporarily necessary, are there ways we can make it pleasanter?