Bank of China Tower
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| Bank of China Tower Traditional Chinese: 中銀大廈 |
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| Information | |
|---|---|
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1990 |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 369 meters |
| Roof | 315 meters |
| Floor count | 70 |
The Bank of China Tower (abbr. BOC Tower; Traditional Chinese: 中銀大廈) is one of the most recognized skyscrapers in Central, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters for the Bank of China.
It was designed by architect I. M. Pei. The building is 315 metres high with two masts reaching 369 metres (1209 feet) high. The 70 story building was built in 1989 and is located near Central MTR station. This was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, and it was the first building outside the United States to break the 1000 foot mark. That also means it was the tallest outside America from its completion year, 1990. It is now the third tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after Two International Finance Centre and Central Plaza.
The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. The whole structure is supported by the five steel columns at the corners of the building, with the triangular frameworks transferring the weight of the structure onto these five columns.
The building has been criticised by some practitioners of Feng Shui for its sharp edges and its negative symbolism by the numerous 'X' shapes in its original design, though Pei modified the design to some degree before construction following this feedback. The building's profile from some angles resembles that of a cleaver. In Feng Shui, this is described as a cleaver building and it is not difficult to observe that it is facing the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building in this guise. (See Government House, Hong Kong.)
A small observation deck on the 43rd floor of the building is open to the public; visits to the main observation deck on the 70th floor are by appointment only.
The formal address of the building is: 1 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong.
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[edit] Trivia
- The BOC Tower is the only landmark from Hong Kong that appears in the city-building/simulation computer games SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4.
[edit] See also
- Bank of China Building, the old headquarters of the Bank of China
- Other skyscrapers in Hong Kong: Central Plaza - The Center - Hopewell Centre - International Finance Centre - Sorrento, The Harbourside
- Lists: List of skyscrapers - List of towers - World's tallest structures - List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong - List of the world's tallest structures
[edit] Gallery
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 The Bank of China Tower and the Cheung Kong Center |
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 The Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong's skyline |
[edit] External links
- About BOC Tower on Bank of China (Hong Kong) website
- Great Buildings Online site on BOC Tower
- Satellite view of the site
- Skyscraperpage.com: Bank of China Tower
- Buildable paper model of the tower
