International Finance Centre (Hong Kong)

The International Finance Centre (abbreviated as ifc) is a skyscraper and integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District.

Not to be confused with International Commerce Centre.
For other skyscrapers with the same name, see International finance centre.

Two International Finance Centre
國際金融中心2 期
International Finance Centre
International Finance Centre (Hong Kong) is located in Hong Kong
International Finance Centre (Hong Kong)
Location within Hong Kong
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Location8 Finance Street
Central, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°17′6″N 114°9′33″E
Construction started1996 (1996) (International Finance Centre 1)
2000 (2000) (Two International Finance Centre)
Completed1998 (1998)
Opening6 July 1998 (1998-07-06) (One International Finance Centre)
18 October 2003 (2003-10-18) (Two International Finance Centre)
Height
Architectural415 m (1,361.5 ft)
Tip415.4 m (1,362.9 ft)
Roof407 m (1,335.3 ft)
Top floor387.6 m (1,271.7 ft)
Technical details
Floor count88 above ground level,
6 basement floors
Floor area185,805 m2 (1,999,988 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators62
Design and construction
Architect(s)César Pelli & Association Architects[1]
Executive Architect (Cladding)Adamson Associates Architects
DeveloperSun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas
Structural engineerOve Arup & Partners
Main contractorE Man-Sanfield Joint Venture
References
[2][3][4][5]
International Finance Centre
Traditional Chinese國際金融中心
Simplified Chinese国际金融中心
Cantonese YaleGwokjai Gāmyùhng Jūngsām

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, ifc consists of two skyscrapers (One and Two ifc), the ifc mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the second-tallest building in Hong Kong at a height of 415 m, behind the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, and the 38th-tallest building in the world. It is the fourth-tallest building in the Greater China region and the eighth-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; it is of similar height to the former World Trade Center. The Airport Express Hong Kong station is directly beneath it, with subway lines to Hong Kong International Airport.

ifc was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas.[6]

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 (200,000 square ft) and a length of 230 m, making it the world's largest advertisement ever put on a skyscraper.[7]

History

Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded in lowercase letters, as "One ifc". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc".[8]

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[9] and the Financial Times.[10]

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

2IFC, which was completed at the height of the SARS epidemic,[9] was initially available to rent at HK$25-HK$35 per square foot.[13] 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.[14]

One International Finance Centre

One International Finance Centre was opened on 6 July 1998. It is 688 feet (210 m) tall,[15] has 39 stories and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,800 m2). Completed in 2004, has a similar design and appearance with the “Two IFC”. The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.

Current office tenants include Ballie Gifford,[16] Bank of Singapore, China Development Bank, China Orient Asset Management, CICC, Industrial Bank, Julius Baer, Macquarie, Prudential and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.

Two International Finance Centre

Two International Finance Centre, completed on 18 October 2003, is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall. This 415-metre-tall (1,362 ft) 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 Cantonese culture. It is, however, short of the magic number, because "taboo floors" like 14th and 24th are omitted as being inauspicious – in Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, "4" is pronounced similarly to "death" .

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 HK$3.7 billion in 2001.[11] 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.[17]

Despite common practice for owners to allow naming buildings after its important tenants, the owners decided not to allow renaming of the building.[18]

Current office tenants include Banco Santander, Baring Private Equity Asia, BGC Partners, Blackstone Group, BNP Paribas, China Universal Asset Management, Citadel, Coatue Management, DST Advisors, E Fund Management, Hillhouse Capital, Hony Capital, Investec Asset Management, Jefferies, Lazard, Lexington Partners, Millennium Management, Nomura, Sidley Austin LLP, Silver Lake, UBS and Warburg Pincus.[19]

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
Main article: Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

The Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built near the ifc One and Two. It was completed and opened in October 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.[20]

IFC Mall

The IFC Mall is an 74,000 square metres (800,000 sq ft), 4-storey luxury shopping mall, with many luxury retail brands and a wide variety of restaurants. Anchored by Lane Crawford, PALACE Cinema (part of Broadway Circuit), and C!ty'super, the first official Apple Store was also located in this mall (a 3-storey flagship store in Hong Kong). In May 2018, the first Shake Shack restaurant in Hong Kong was opened in the mall.[21]

Cultural impact

The IFC towers have been 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, The Dark Knight, where Batman leapt from 2 IFC to 1 IFC, and Godzilla vs Kong, where an action scene then takes place.[22]

See also

References
  1. "International Finance Centre, Basic Information".
  2. "Two International Finance Centre". CTBUH Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  3. "Two International Finance Centre". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  4. "Two International Finance Centre". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  5. Two International Finance Centre at Structurae. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. "IFC owner opposes plan for neighbours". SCMP. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  7. "Vertigo World's Largest Outdoor Advert". Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  8. ifc site: "One and Two ifc" Archived 10 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Bloomberg (18 June 2003). "Tenanting tallest tower looks likely to be a tall order". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  10. Lau, Eli (22 September 2003). "SHKP net profit tipped to drop 24.6pc". The Standard. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  11. Tong, Sebastian (7 April 2003). "HKMC 'to pay $90m' for lease at Two IFC". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  12. Wang, Raymond (13 November 2003). "Interest grows in mega project". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  13. Wallis, Keith (22 October 2003). "2IFC optimism". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  14. Kuo, Patricia (11 March 2007). "Hong Kong's IFC gets $242 billion loan". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  15. 1 International Finance Centre, Skyscraperpage.com
  16. "One IFC | Office For Rent in Central — CBD OFFICE RENTAL | HONG KONG (2022-23)". CBD OFFICE RENTAL | HONG KONG. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  17. "HKMA Information Centre". Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  18. Danny Chung, Name of the game is signage rights Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 23 June 2006
  19. Two IFC Tenants
  20. Ann Collier, Room at the top for elite Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, Monday, 13 June 2005
  21. "It's official: we have the opening date of Shake Shack!". Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  22. Pulver, Andrew (4 July 2012). "Top 10 films set in Hong Kong". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
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