Tower sights in Hong Kong
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A
Peak Tower
The anvil-shaped Peak Tower, with its attractions, shops and restaurants, is a good place to bring the kids and makes a good grandstand for many of the best views of the city and harbour. On Level 4 there’s an outpost of Madame Tussauds, with eerie (and often creepy) wax likenesses of international stars, as well as local celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Michelle Yeoh and Kelly Chen. There is an open-air viewing terrace with coin-operated binoculars on Level 5.
reviewed
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Two IFC
The two tapering, pearl-coloured colossi of One IFC and Two IFC sit atop the International Finance Centre (IFC) Mall and Hong Kong station, terminus of the Airport Express and the Tung Chung lines. Both were partly designed by Cesar Pelli, the man responsible for Canary Wharf in London. One IFC, which opened in 1999, is a ‘mere’ 39 levels tall. At 88 storeys, Two IFC was until recently Hong Kong’s tallest (though not prettiest) building. Given the local penchant for bestowing nicknames on everything, Two IFC has been christened ‘Sir YK Pao’s Erection’, a reference to the owner of the company that built the tower. The claimant to the title of Hong Kong’s tallest buildi…
reviewed
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B
One & Two International Finance Centre
These two tapering, pearl-coloured colossi sit atop the International Finance Centre (IFC) Mall and Hong Kong station, terminus of the Airport Express and the Tung Chung lines. Both were partly designed by Cesar Pelli, the man responsible for Canary Wharf in London. One IFC, which opened in 1999, is a ‘mere’ 39 levels tall. At 88 storeys, Two IFC was until recently Hong Kong’s tallest (though not prettiest) building. Given the local penchant for bestowing nicknames on everything, Two IFC has been christened ‘Sir YK Pao’s Erection’, a reference to the owner of the company that built the tower. The claimant to the title of Hong Kong’s tallest building now looms across t…
reviewed
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C
Bank of China Tower
The Bank of China (BOC) is headquartered in the awesome Bank of China Tower to the southeast of its old home (the Old Bank of China building at 1 Bank St). The tower was designed by Chinese-born American architect IM Pei and completed in 1990. This 70-storey building is Hong Kong’s third-tallest structure after Two International Finance Centre in Central and Central Plaza in Wan Chai. The asymmetry of the building is puzzling at first glance, but it’s really a simple geometric exercise. Rising from the ground like a cube, it is successively reduced, quarter by quarter, until the south-facing side is left to rise upward on its own. Many local Hong Kong Chinese see the buil…
reviewed
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D
Central Plaza
At just under 374m, Central Plaza, which was completed in 1992, is just 3m shorter than the newer Two IFC tower. The glass skin of the tower has three different colours – gold, silver and terracotta – and the overall impression is rather garish. Central Plaza functions as one of the world’s biggest clocks. There’s method to the madness of the four lines of light shining through the glass pyramid at the top of the building between 6pm and midnight. The bottom level indicates the hour: red is 6pm, white 7pm, purple 8pm, yellow 9pm, pink 10pm and green 11pm. When all four lights are the same colour, it’s right on the hour. When the top light is different from the bottom ones…
reviewed
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E
Exchange Square
West of Jardine House, this complex of three elevated office towers is home to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and a number of businesses and offices. The main draw for visitors is the attractive and relatively peaceful open-air space, featuring fountains and sculptures including Henry Moore’s Single Oval, bronzes by Dame Elizabeth Frink and Taiwanese artist Ju Ming’s memorable t’ai chi sculpture. Access is via a network of overhead pedestrian walkways stretching west to Sheung Wan and linked to many of the buildings on the other side of Connaught Rd. The ground level of the 52-storey Towers I and II is given over to the Central bus and minibus terminus.
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F
Peak Galleria
Designed to withstand winds of up to 270km/h, theoretically more than the maximum velocity of a No 10 typhoon, this building is worth skipping unless you’re after refreshments. You can reach the Peak Galleria’s viewing deck, which is larger than the one in the Peak Tower, by taking the escalator to Level 3. Inside the centre you’ll find a number of retail shops, from art galleries to duty-free stores. If you wish to eat, you’ll find that prices are high and the quality low, as restaurants don’t have to try too hard to find custom at this top visitor spot.
reviewed
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One IFC
These two tapering, pearl-coloured colossi of One IFC and Two IFC sit atop the International Finance Centre (IFC) Mall and Hong Kong station, terminus of the Airport Express and the Tung Chung lines. Both were partly designed by Cesar Pelli, the man responsible for Canary Wharf in London. One IFC, which opened in 1999, is a ‘mere’ 39 levels tall. At 88 storeys, Two IFC was until recently Hong Kong’s tallest (though not prettiest) building.
reviewed
