International Finance Centre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with International Commerce Centre.

For the development with the same name in Shanghai, see Shanghai IFC.

2 International Finance Centre
國際金融中心二期
2 International Finance Centre, Sept, 2008
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Commercial offices
Location	8 Finance Street Central, Hong Kong
Coordinates	22°17′6″N 114°9′33″E / 22.28500°N 114.15917°E / 22.28500; 114.15917Coordinates: 22°17′6″N 114°9′33″E / 22.28500°N 114.15917°E / 22.28500; 114.15917
Construction started	1997
Completed	2003
Opening	2003
Height
Architectural	412.0 m (1,351.7 ft)
Roof	407.0 m (1,335.3 ft)
Top floor	387.6 m (1,271.7 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	88 (+6 basement floors)
Floor area	185,805 m² (1,999,988 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	62
Design and construction
Architect	César Pelli & Association Architects Rocco Design Architects Limited
Executive Architect (Cladding)	Adamson Associates Architects
Developer	Sun Hung Kai Properties
Structural engineer	Ove Arup & Partners
References
^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

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-storey 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. The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.

IFC was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas.^[5]

In 2003, Financial Times, HSBC, and Cathay Pacific put up an advertisement on the facade 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.^[6]

IFC as a brand

International Finance Centre

Simplified Chinese

国际金融中心

Traditional Chinese

國際金融中心

Transcriptions
Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Guójì jīnróng zhōngxīn
Cantonese
Jyutping	gwok3 zai3 gam1 jung4 zung1 sam1

Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded as "One ifc". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc".^[7]

1IFC opened in December 1998, towards the end of the Asian financial crisis. Tenants included ING Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, Fidelity International, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority^[8] and the Financial Times.^[9]

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority purchased 14 floors in 2IFC;^[9] the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation signed a 12-year lease on 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m²);^[10] 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).^[9] 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.^[11]

2IFC, which was completed at the height of the SARS epidemic,^[8] was initially available to rent at HK$25-HK$35 per square foot.^[12] 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.^[13]

The IFC's towers have featured in several Hollywood films, including Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, where Lara Croft leaps off the then-under-construction 2 International Finance Centre, landing on a ship out in the Kowloon Bay, and The Dark Knight, where Batman leapt from 2 IFC to 1 IFC, where an action scene then takes place.

One International Finance Centre

One International Finance Centre (left) and Four Season Hotel (right)

One International Finance Centre was constructed in 1998 and opened in 1999. It is 688 feet (210 m) tall,^[14] has 39 storeys and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,800 m²). It is similar in design and appearance to the Goldman Sachs Tower. The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.

Tenants

China International Capital Corp, 25/F, 29/F, and 30/F
Bain & Company, 30/F
Fidelity International, 17/F
Julius Baer Group, 37/F - 39/F
Hamburg-Sud, 36/F
Keystone Union Limited, 20/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

Map of the IFC

2 IFC at dusk

Two International Finance Centre, completed in 2003, is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall. This 415 metres (1,362 ft)-tall building, currently Hong Kong's second 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.^[10] 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.^[15]

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.^[16]

Tenants

Bank of America, 42/F
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, 10/F and 43/F
BNP Paribas, 59/F – 63/F (5 Floors)
Blackstone Group, 9/F, Suite 901
Charterhouse Wealth Management, 18/F,19/F,21/F
Chinatrust, 28/F
Commerzbank AG, Financial Times, 29/F
General Atlantic, 58/F
Henderson Land Development Company Limited, 71/F - 76/F
Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 55/F, Part of 56/F, 77/F – 88/F (14 Floors)
(Another part of 56/F is also used for Lift Transfer Level but no public linkways connect these two areas on 56/F, therefore escalators to 56/F HKMA Office are found at the 55/F entrance)
Central 18 Zone at Two IFC by MTR Corporation Limited, 33/F- 52/F
Nomura International, 22/F, 25/F - 27/F, 30/F - 32/F
Sidley Austin, 39/F
Silver Lake Partners, 33/F (Also using for Lift Transfer Level)
Standard Chartered Bank, 12/F, 15/F
State Street Bank, 68/F - 70/F, Suite 7006 - 7012
Texas Pacific Group, 57/F
UBS AG, 45/F - 52/F (8 Floors)
Warburg Pincus, 63/F

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

Main article: Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

The Four Seasons Hotel

The Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built near the IFC One and Two. It 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 French restaurant Caprice and spa.^[17]

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.
The office lobby in Two IFC
IFC2 seen left and IFC1 on the right
The headquarters of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority at the 2 IFC.