International Commerce Centre

International Commerce Centre
環球貿易廣場

The International Commerce Centre and the Union Square development in August 2010
General information
Status Complete
Type Hotel
Commercial offices
Location 1 Austin Road West
West Kowloon
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Coordinates 22°18′12.21″N 114°9′36.61″E / 22.3033917°N 114.1601694°ECoordinates: 22°18′12.21″N 114°9′36.61″E / 22.3033917°N 114.1601694°E
Construction started 2002
Completed 2010
Opening 2010
Management Kai Shing Management Services Limited
Height
Architectural 484.0 m (1,587.9 ft)
Tip 484 m (1,587.9 ft)
Top floor 468.8 m (1,538.1 ft)
Observatory 387.8 m (1,272.3 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 118 (4 below ground) (see details)
Floor area 274,064 m2 (2,950,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators 83
Design and construction
Architect Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (design)
Belt Collins & Associates (landscape)
Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.
Developer Sun Hung Kai Properties
Structural engineer Arup
Main contractor Sanfield Building Contractors Limited
References
[1][2][3][4][5][6]
International Commerce Centre
Traditional Chinese 環球貿易廣場

The Hong Kong International Commerce Centre (Chinese: 環球貿易廣場) (abbr. ICC Tower) is a 118-storey (see below), 484 m (1,588 ft) commercial skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station. As of 2014, it is the world's eighth tallest building by height, world's fourth tallest building by number of floors, as well as the tallest building in Hong Kong.

International Commerce Centre compared with other tallest buildings in Asia.

Notable amenities include The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong hotel and an observatory called Sky100.

The ICC Tower faces the second-tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, the 2 International Finance Centre (abbr. IFC), located directly across Victoria Harbour in Central, Hong Kong Island. The IFC Tower was also developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, along with another major Hong Kong developer, Henderson Land.

Development

Row of taxis at the International Commerce Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong

MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively, were responsible for the development of this skyscraper. Known in development as Union Square Phase 7, its current name was officially announced in 2005. The International Commerce Centre was completed in phases from 2007 to 2010. The tower opened in 2011, with the Ritz-Carlton opening in late March and the observatory in early April.

The height had been scaled back from earlier plans due to regulations that did not allow buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains. The original proposal for this building was called Kowloon Station Phase 7 and it was designed to be 574 m (1,883 ft) tall with 102 floors.[7] It would have risen 162 m (531 ft) over the then-current tallest in Hong Kong, 2 International Finance Centre.

The tower was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.

Construction work was temporarily halted[8] on 13 September 2009 due to an elevator shaft accident which killed six workers.[9]

Floor count

Several sources indicate that the building has 118 floors,[3][5] some indicate that it has 118 floors above ground and 4 floors below ground,[2] while others, including the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) mention 108 floors above ground and 4 floors below ground.[1][4] CTBUH notes that their "floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong)". There is in fact a floor bearing the number 118, which is part of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.[10]

Floor directory

In its basement is the Elements shopping mall, which opened in October 2007.

A five-star hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong occupies floors 102 to 118. The world's highest swimming pool and bar (OZONE) can be found on the top 118th floor.[11]

The building also contains an observation deck on the 100th floor called Sky100 which opened to the public in April 2011. The 101st floor is leased to a number of five-star restaurants.

The rest of the building, except the lobby, contains class-A office space. Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse moved into the ICC and occupy 16 and 12 floors respectively,[12] Deutsche Bank occupies 12 floors with the option to expand to 18 floors.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 International Commerce Centre at CTBUH Skyscraper Database
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 International Commerce Centre at Emporis
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 International Commerce Centre at Glass Steel and Stone
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 International Commerce Centre at SkyscraperPage
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 International Commerce Centre at Structurae
  6. ↑ "International Commerce Centre". Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "International Commerce Center". Leslie E. Robertson Associates. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  8. ↑ "地盤平台墜樓6工人全死". INews.com. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  9. ↑ Kyunghee Park (13 September 2009). "Elevator Shaft Accident Kills Six Workers in Hong Kong Tower". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  10. ↑ The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong: Hotel information
  11. ↑ "Hotel Information". The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "SHKP Welcomes Morgan Stanley’s Asia-Pacific Headquarters to International Commerce Centre (ICC)" (PDF). Sun Hung Kai Properties. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  13. ↑ "Deutsche Bank selects 12 floors of ICC for its Hong Kong business" (PDF) (Press release). Sun Hung Kai Properties. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-05.

External links

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