Bank of China Tower Hong Kong

Bank of China Tower Hong Kong

The Bank of China Tower is the headquarters of Bank of China (Hong Kong), located at 1 Garden Road, Central, in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong. Construction began on April 18, 1985, with Kumagai Gumi as the main contractor, and was completed in 1989. The occupancy permit was obtained in August, and it was officially opened on May 17, 1990. The original site was occupied by the Murray Building. Upon completion, it was the tallest skyscraper in Asia at that time, and is currently the fourth tallest building in Hong Kong, after the International Commerce Centre, the International Finance Centre, and the Central Plaza. Globally, it ranks 25th tallest (as of January 2013).

The architect of the Bank of China Tower is the Chinese-American I. M. Pei, who also designed the famous glass pyramid entrance of the Louvre Museum in France. The planning for the tower began in 1982, when the Hong Kong government sold a 6,700-square-meter plot of land at the former Murray Building, located in the heart of Hong Kong’s commercial district—Central—for HK$1.1 billion to Bank of China. However, this was during the peak of Hong Kong’s property market, so the land price was actually far below the market value at the time. This move was considered a gesture of goodwill from the colonial government toward China. Initially, the tower was planned to be completed on August 8, 1988, as the number “8” is considered auspicious in Chinese culture. Construction began on March 3, 1987, and the building was completed by the end of 1989, with a topping-out ceremony held. It was officially opened on May 17, 1990.

The Bank of China Tower has 70 floors and stands 315 meters tall, reaching a total height of 367.4 meters including the two masts on top. As a result, it was the tallest building in Hong Kong and all of Asia from 1989 to 1992, as well as the tallest skyscraper outside the United States, a record it held for two years before being surpassed by the International Commerce Centre in Wan Chai. The building has a prism-like shape, resembling a bamboo shoot “growing higher and higher.” According to the Bank of China (Hong Kong) website, the design of the tower is inspired by the upward growth of bamboo, symbolizing strength, vitality, growth, and an enterprising spirit. The granite facade at the base represents the Great Wall, symbolizing China. Structurally, the corners of the building are supported by four reinforced concrete columns, with triangular frameworks transferring the building’s load onto these four columns. The exterior is covered with glass curtain walls. Its distinctive design has made it one of Hong Kong’s most iconic landmarks, often featured on stamps and postcards issued in Hong Kong. The Bank of China Tower is also one of the participating buildings in the Symphony of Lights show.

The unique design of the Bank of China Tower has made it the only prominent Hong Kong building featured in the computer games SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4. Additionally, the science fiction TV series Star Trek: Voyager used digital technology to modify the front facade of the Bank of China Tower, turning it into the “Communications Research Center” of the starship fleet. This internationally renowned building has also appeared in several Hollywood films, such as The Dark Knight Rises and Battleship.