International Finance Centre
| 2 International Finance Centre 國際金融中心二期 |
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|---|---|
 2 International Finance Centre, 6 December 2006 |
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| General information | |
| Location | Hong Kong |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1997 - 2003 |
| Use | Office, parking garage, retail |
| Height | |
| Antenna or spire | 415.8 m (1,364.2 ft) |
| Roof | 406.9 m (1,335.0 ft) |
| Top floor | 401.9 m (1,318.6 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 88 |
| Floor area | 185,805 m2 (1,999,988 sq ft) |
| Elevators | 62, made by Otis Elevator Company |
| Companies involved | |
| Architect(s) |
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| Developer | IFC |
References: [1] |
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The International Finance Centre (abbr. IFC, branded as "ifc") is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District.
A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, IFC consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC Mall, and the 55-story Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the second tallest building in Hong Kong, behind the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon. It is the fourth-tallest building in the Greater China region and the eighth-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; by roof height, only the Taipei 101, Shanghai World Financial Center, Willis Tower, International Commerce Centre and Burj Khalifa exceed it. It is of similar height to the former World Trade Center.
IFC was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas.[2]
The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.
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IFC as a brand
| International Finance Centre | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 國際金融中心 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国际金融中心 | ||||||||||
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Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded as "IFC One". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "IFC Two".
1IFC opened in December 1998, towards the end of the Asian financial crisis. Tenants included ING Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, Fidelity Investments, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority[3] and the Financial Times.[4]
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority purchased 14 floors in 2IFC;[4] the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation signed a 12-year lease on 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2);[5] Nomura Group agreed to take 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) at 2 IFC; the Financial Times, an existing tenant at One IFC, took 10,000 sq ft (900 m2).[4] Ernst & Young took six floors (from the 11th to 18th floors), or about 180,000 square feet (16,700 m2), in 2IFC, to become the biggest tenant.[6]
2IFC, which was completed at the height of the SARS epidemic,[3] was initially available to rent at HK$25-HK$35 per square foot.[7] In 2007, as the economy has improved, high quality ("Grade A") office space is highly sought after; rents for current leases are $150 per square foot as of March 2007.[8]
One International Finance Centre
.jpg)
One International Finance Centre was completed in 1998 and opened in 1999. It is 210 m tall,[9] has 39 storeys and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,850 m²). It is similar in design and appearance to the Goldman Sachs Tower. The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.
Notable tenants
- Bain & Company, 30/F
- ING Group, 39/F
- Macquarie Group, 18/F
- Moody's Corporation, 25/F, Suite 2510
- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, 7/F - 8/F (2 Floors)
- Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, 31/F
Two International Finance Centre
Two International Finance Centre, completed in 2003, is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall. This 415-meter-tall building, currently Hong Kong's tallest, is quoted as having 88 storeys and 22 high-ceiling trading floors to qualify as being extremely auspicious in Chinese culture. It is, however, short of the magic number, due to the fact that "taboo floors" like 14th and 24th are omitted as being inauspicious - 14 sounds like "definitely fatal" and 24 like "easily fatal" in Cantonese.
The highrise is designed to accommodate financial institutions. For example, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is located at the 55th floor. It is equipped with advanced telecommunications, raised floors for flexible cabling management, and nearly column-free floor plans. The building expects to accommodate up to 15,000 people. It is one of relatively few buildings in the world equipped with double-deck elevators.
The 55th, 56th and the 77th to 88th floors were bought by the HKMA for US$ 480 million in 2001.[5] An exhibition area, currently containing an exhibit of Hong Kong's monetary history, and a library of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Information Centre occupy the 55th floor, and are open to the public during office hours.[10]
Despite common practice for owners to allow naming buildings after its important tenants - the building accommodates some very prestigious tenants - the owners decided not to allow renaming of the building in fairness to all.[11]
Notable tenants
- Bank of America, 42/F
- BBVA, 33/F
- BNP Paribas, 59/F - 63/F (5 Floors)
- Ernst & Young, 11/F, 17/F and 18/F (3 Floors)
- Financial Times, 29/F
- General Atlantic, 58/F
- Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 55/F, 56/F, 77/F - 88/F (14 Floors)
- Mallesons Stephen Jaques, 37/F
- Nomura International, 30/F
- Sidley Austin, 39/F
- SinoPac, 23/F
- Standard Chartered Bank, 12/F, 15/F
- State Street Bank, 68/F
- Texas Pacific Group, 57/F
- The Blackstone Group, 9/F, Suite 901
- UBS AG, 52/F
- Warburg Pincus, 63/F
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
The Four Seasons Hotel is a five-star luxury hotel that was completed and opened in October in 2005. The 206 m (674 ft), 60-storey oceanfront hotel is the only Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. The hotel has 399 guest suites, and 519 serviced apartments. Amenities include a world-class French restaurant Caprice and spa.[12] It is the largest Four Seasons Hotel.
2IFC Trivia
- Financial Times, HSBC, and Cathay Pacific put up an advertisement on the facade from October to November 2003 that stretched more than 50 storeys, covering an area of 19,000 m² (0.2 million square ft) and a length of 230 m, making it the world's largest advertisement ever put on a skyscraper.
- In the movie, The Dark Knight, a scene in Hong Kong depicts Batman leaping off the top of 2 International Finance Centre and gliding onto the roof of 1 International Finance Centre, where an action scene then takes place.
Image gallery
2 International Finance Centre
 IFC towers as seen from the street |
 Two IFC in the evening. The 3rd-generation Star Ferry Pier can be seen in the lower part of the image. |
 Two IFC at night |
 Sun glinting off Two IFC |
 Two IFC from Victoria Peak against the backdrop of other buildings and the harbour. |
 The office lobby in Two IFC |
 Afternoon view of Two IFC |
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 IFC2 seen left and IFC1 on the right |
.jpg) Two International Finance Centre at night, 2 January 2006 |
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 Two International Finance Centre and Four Seasons Hotel, May 2008 |
 A merged image taken from nearby Victoria Peak. Two IFC is clearly visible in the centre. |
 International Finance Centre, taken from Queen's Pier the day before the closure of Queen's Pier. |
 The headquarters of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority at the 2 IFC. |
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International Finance Centre Mall
 The IFC logo on the building facade |
 Various shops and a cinema inside the IFC mall |
 Fashion show in the IFC mall |
 IFC mall near the MTR HK Station |
Miscellaneous
 A footbridge from ifc to the outlying island piers, The Discovery Bay Pier |
 A station of the Airport Express is beneath IFC |
 The One IFC (right) and the Two IFC (left) as seen from the Star Ferry Pier at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon |
 The Hong Kong Station in IFC |
 Airline passengers' check-in at Hong Kong Station, next to the IFC |
See also
- List of skyscrapers
- List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
- List of the world's tallest structures
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong
References
- ↑ "2 International Finance Centre - SkyscraperPage.com". http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=11. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ↑ "IFC owner opposes plan for neighbours". SCMP. 24 February 2009. http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=b181fb41463af110VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bloomberg (18 June 2003). "Tenanting tallest tower looks likely to be a tall order". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=21885&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030618&sear_year=2003. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lau, Eli (22 September 2003). "SHKP net profit tipped to drop 24.6pc". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=28008&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030922&sear_year=2003. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tong, Sebastian (7 April 2003). "HKMC 'to pay $90m' for lease at Two IFC". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=15903&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20030407&sear_year=2003. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ↑ Wang, Raymond (13 November 2003). "Interest grows in mega project". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=31544&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20031113&sear_year=2003. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ↑ Wallis, Keith (22 October 2003). "2IFC optimism". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=30087&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20031022&sear_year=2003. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
- ↑ Kuo, Patricia (11 March 2007). "Hong Kong's IFC gets $242 billion loan". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/11/bloomberg/sxifc.php. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
- ↑ 1 International Finance Centre, Skyscraperpage.com
- ↑ "HKMA Information Centre". Hong Kong Monetary Authority. http://www.info.gov.hk/hkma/eng/info_centre/index.htm. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ↑ Danny Chung, Name of the game is signage rights, The Standard, 23 June 2006
- ↑ Ann Collier, Room at the top for elite, The Standard, Monday, 13 June 2005
External links
| Preceded by Central Plaza |
Tallest Building in Hong Kong 2003 – 2009 |
Succeeded by International Commerce Centre |
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