Peak Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of Hong Kong's famous Peninsular Hotel along with many other properties. The tower and tram are promoted using the brand The Peak.[1][2]
The Peak Tower is located at an elevation of 396 m, 156 m below the summit of Victoria Peak. Because the architects sought a design which would be prominent on the skyline but would not interrupt the natural line of the hills, they chose a site in a dip along the line of the hills, and restricted the tower's height to 428 m above sea level.[3]
The current Peak Tower is the second on the site. Construction of the first started in 1971, and it was opened on August 29, 1972. The Tower Restaurant was situated on the top deck while the Peak Coffee Shop was located on the floor below. Both the upper floors were supported by two columns allowing a clear space between the upper and lower parts of the tower. This design feature has been retained in the redeveloped tower, but with quite a different shape to the upper section.[3]
The current Peak Tower was the work of the British architect Terry Farrell, and was completed in 1997. It has seven floors with a total area of 10,400 m² (112,000 ft²) with a wok shape at the top. A viewing platform was located on the third floor overlooking the world famous Victoria Habour. Apart from the Peak Tram terminal and gift shops, the Tower also included serveral attraction: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, Hong Kong's Historical Adventure (a journey through scenes of the Hong Kong's early history, and the first computer-operated entertainment ride in Hong Kong) and the Peak Explorer Motion Simulator.
Later in 2000, after the closing of Hong Kong's Historical Adventure, Madame Tussaud's wax museum opened to fill up the exhibition vacancy in the Tower. Madame Tussaud's Hong Kong became the first Tussaud's permanent attraction in the Asia-Pacific area.
After the latest refurbishment in 2006, the Peak Tower now has eight floors with viewing terrace relocated to the top of the building (at the top of the 'wok' shape) that overlook both Victoria Habour and Aberdeen (Southern part of the Hong Kong Island). Madame Tussaud's Hong Kong wax museum become the only attraction in the Tower and branded stores such as GODIVA chocolatier are introduced to the Tower.
The Peak Tower is adjoined by a second leisure and shopping centre, the Peak Galleria, built atop the bus station used by the public buses and green minibuses that serve the Peak.
[edit] References
- ^ The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels - Peak Tower. The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ The Peak. The Peak. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b Peak Tower History. The Peak. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
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