International Finance Centre
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International Finance Centre (abbr. IFC, branded as "ifc"; Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: }}}; Jyutping: gwok3 zai3 gam1 jung4 zung1 sam1; pinyin: Guójìjīnróngzhōngxīn) is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District (). A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, it consists of three skyscrapers and the ifc mall. The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.
One International Finance Centre
Also known as 1IFC and branded as "One ifc", One International Finance Centre was completed in 1998 and opened in 1999. It is 180 m tall, has 39 storeys and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,800 m²). The building has attracted global financial institutions as its tenants, making One ifc a key business destination in Hong Kong. The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.Two International Finance Centre
Also known also as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc", Two International Finance Centre was completed in 2003. Designed by César Pelli, this 415 m tall building is currently Hong Kong's tallest, with 88 storeys (an extremely lucky number in Cantonese culture) and 22 high-ceiling trading floors. The highrise is designed to accommodate financial firms. For example, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is located at the 55th floor. It is equipped with state of the art telecommunications, raised floors for flexible cabling management, and nearly column-free floor plans. The building expects to accommodate up to 15,000 people.It should be noted that, however, the 88 storeys do not comprise of an actual number of 88 storeys. Some of the "taboo floors" like 14 and 24, which sounds like definitely die and Easy to die in Cantonese respectively, are omitted.
The top floor of Two ifc is slightly higher than the city's landmark the Peak viewing gallery in Hong Kong. It is the third tallest building in the Greater China region and the 6th tallest office building in the world after:
- Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan
- the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- the Sears Tower in Chicago, USA
- the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China [link]
Tenants of the building include, but are not limited to: Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Warburg Pincus, Nomura Group, UBS AG, Ernst & Young, State Street Corporation, Financial Times, BNP Paribas, Henderson Land Development and Lehman Brothers.
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong was completed in 2005. The 40-storey hotel is the first Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
The ifc mall features a number of top fashion, health & skin care, jewelry and accessory shops, restaurants, and a cinema. The ifc mall houses over 200 different brands. It also features Hong Kong's third c!ty'super store, a gourmet food grocery.
2ifc Trivia
- It is one of relatively few buildings in the world equipped with double-deck elevators.
- The Hong Kong Monetary Authority bought several floors in the top portion of the tower for USD 0.48 bn.
- Financial Times, HSBC, and Cathay Pacific put up an advertisement on the facade from October to November of 2003 that stretched more than 50 storeys, covering an area of 0.2 million square ft (19,000 m²) and a length of 230 m; making it the world's largest advertisement ever put on skyscraper.
- This is the tallest building in Hong Kong, surpassing the Central Plaza.
- Two ifc's reign as Hong Kong's tallest will not be long, as Union Square Phase 7 is under construction and will claim the title in 2007.
- More than 3,500 workers from various places around the world worked at the construction site during the peak construction period.
- The Two ifc building was featured in the Hollywood movie .
- The 88th floor of the tower contains the office of the Chief Executive of the HK Monetary Authority. It is served by an individual lift.
- The tower is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall.
- The public viewing gallery in Two ifc is on the 55th floor, and currently contains an exhibit of Hong Kong's monatery history.
- An exhibition area and a library of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Information Centre occupy the 55th floor and are open to the public during office hours.
- The number of storeys (88) has in this case a special significance, as the number eight (八, formal writing 捌, pinyin: }) is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word "prosperity" (發 pinyin: }).
- Some locals as well as tourists criticised that the tower obstructed the famous view of Victoria Harbour from the Peak.
- Developed by a consortium lead by Sun Hung Kai Properties & MTR Corp.
See also
External links