HSBC Hong Kong Headquarters

The HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building (officially HSBC Main Building) is located along the southern side of Statue Square, in Central, at the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong (built 1869, demolished 1933). The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and demolished to make way for the current building. The address remains as 1 Queen's Road Central, Central. The building can be reached by a 5-minute walk from Exit K of Central MTR Station. Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 861 KB)I took this photo on my own on 9/11. ... Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 861 KB)I took this photo on my own on 9/11. ... HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HBC), (LSE: HSBA) , (HKSE: 005) , (Euronext: HSBC) , is one of the largest banking groups in the world. ... The Statue Square is located in Chater Road Image:HK Statue Square 1910. ... Corner of Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central, in Central. ... Hong Kongs first City Hall was a 2 storey colonial building at 1 Queens Road Central in 1869 and demolished in 1933 to make way for HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Platforms 1 and 2 on the . ...

History

The third design of the HSBC headquarters building, during the Japanese occupation

The first HSBC (then known as the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank) building was Wardley House, used as HSBC office between 1865 to 1882 on the present site. In 1864 the lease costed HKD $500 a month. After raising a capital of HKD $5 million, the bank opened its door in 1865.^[1] It was demolished in 1886 and rebuilt in the same year. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Hong Kong dollar (currency code HKD) is the currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and has been the currency of Hong Kong since 1937. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ...

The main feature of the second building design was the division of the structure into two almost separate buildings. The building on Queen's Road Central was in Victorian style with colonnade and an octagonal dome, whereas the arcade which harmonized with the adjacent buildings was constructed on Des Voeux Road. In 1935, the second building was demolished and a third design was erected. Queens Road Central (皇后大道中), Queens Road East (皇后大道東) and Queens Road West (皇后大道西) are three roads on the northern shore of the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... Windsor Castle in Modern Times by Landseer depicts the Queen and the Prince Consort at home in the 1840s. ... Enormous colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Des Voeux Road Central near Wing On Department Store in Sheung Wan Des Voeux Road West near Water Street in Sai Ying Pun (the blue tower in the background is the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Des Voeux Road Central (德輔道中) and... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The third design used part of the land of the old City Hall, and was built with the Chicago school style. This third building had, for a period of time after completion, been the tallest building between San Francisco and Cairo. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building served as the government headquarters. Locally, it was the first building in Hong Kong to be fully air-conditioned. Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, heading towards (From the left), the City Hall, Prince of Wales Building, and across the road Hong Kong Club Building. ... Chicago architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Nickname: Al Qahirah (The Triumphant City) Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 210 km²  (81. ... The Japanese prostitutes of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting. ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ...

By the 1970s the bank had outgrown its headquarters; departments were scattered into offices all over Central Hong Kong, and it was obvious that such a "solution" to the space limitations could not continue indefinitely. In 1978 the bank decided to tear down its headquarters and rebuild it again. The building was finished on November 18, 1985. At the time, it was the most expensive building in the world (c.a.HK$5.2 billion, roughly US$668 million). Template:A year The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first major addition to the building was completed on November 23, 2006, in the form of a ground floor lobby that improves security access to the upper floors and creates a prestigious reception area. Its design and construction included the installation of the "Asian Story Wall", a multimedia installation comprised of twin banks of 30 seamless plasma screens (the largest installation of its kind in Hong Kong) displaying archived bank heritage and artworks. November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Design

The new building was designed by the British architect Norman Foster. From the concept to completion, it took 6 years (1979-1985). The building is 180-metres high with 47 storeys and four basement levels. The building has a module design consisting of five steel modules prefabricated in the UK by Scott-Lithgow Shipbuilders near Glasgow, and shipped to Hong Kong. 30,000 tonnes of steel and 4,500 tonnes of aluminium were used. It was an urban legend that the building's modular design enables it to be dismantled and moved, if there was any possibility of a disrupted handover to the People's Republic of China. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The restored Reichstag in Berlin, housing the German parliament. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... British Shipbuilders was a public corporation that owned and managed the UK shipbuilding industry from 1977 to 1986. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... An urban legend or urban myth is a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom (UK) to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), often referred to as The Handover, occurred on June 30, 1997. ...

The new Lobby and its 2-part Asian Story Wall were designed by Greg Pearce, of One Space Limited. Pearce was the Principal Architect of the Hong Kong Airport Express (MTR) station. Conceived as a minimalist glass envelope, the new lobby is designed to be deferential to Foster's structure and appears almost to be part of the original. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This is the complete route map of the Airport Express. ...

The building is also one of the few to not have elevators as the primary carrier of building traffic. Instead, elevators only stop every few floors, and floors are interconnected by escalators.

Characteristics

The main characteristic of HSBC Hong Kong headquarters is its absence of internal supporting structure.

Another notable feature is that natural sunlight is the major source of lighting inside the building. There is a bank of giant mirrors at the top of the atrium, which can reflect natural sunlight into the atrium and hence down into the plaza. Through the use of natural sunlight, this design helps to conserve energy. Additionally, sun shades are provided on the external facades to block direct sunlight going into the building and to reduce heat gain. Instead of fresh water, sea water is used as coolant for the air-conditioning system. Prism splitting light High Resolution Solar Spectrum Sunlight in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. ...

All flooring is made from lightweight movable panels, under which you can find a comprehensive network of power, telecommunication, and air-conditioning systems. Hence installation of equipment or computer terminals becomes far easier. Copy of the original phone of Alexander Graham Bell at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris Telecommunication is the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ...

Because of the urgency to finish the project, the construction of the building relied heavily on off-site prefabrication; components were manufactured all over the world. For example, the structural steel came from Britain; the glass, aluminium cladding and flooring came from the United States while the service modules came from Japan.

The inverted ‘va’ segments of the suspension trusses spanning the construction at double-height levels is the most obvious characteristic of the building. It consists of eight groups of four aluminium-clad steel columns which ascend from the foundations up through the core structure, and five levels of triangular suspension trusses which are locked into these masts.

Feng Shui

The early British settlers in Hong Kong had an interest in Feng Shui; thus, most of the earliest buildings in Hong Kong, and many buildings constructed thereafter, were built with the philosophies of Feng Shui in mind. The Chinese and even the British believe that those who have a direct view of a body of water--whether it is a river, a sea, or an ocean--are more likely to prosper than those who do not (water is strongly associated with wealth in Feng Shui). The HSBC building has a wide open area (the Statue Square) in front of it, with no other buildings blocking its view of Victoria Harbour; thus, it is considered to have "good feng shui." Fēng Shuǐ (風水 – literally, wind and water pronounced fung shuway), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. ... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà GÇŽng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the...

Even though the Hong Kong Government is proposing extending the existing coastline further out into the harbour in its latest land reclamation project, it will still set aside space so that no new developments will block the HSBC Building's view of the harbour. (It has been said that the HSBC is guaranteed its view of the harbour by the government.) Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. ...

It is believed that the Bank of China (Hong Kong) building is to resemble a sword, slicing down at the HSBC building, and in order to counter-that there is a cannon looking object at the top left of the tower.

Lion statues

The left lion statue (Stephen) of HSBC Hong Kong Headquarters

Two bronze lion statues are located behind the building. The statues were cast in Shanghai in 1935 and brought to Hong Kong. Like the other statues of Statue Square, the two lion statues were displaced to Japan for melting by the then Japanese administration during World War II. They were rediscovered at the end of the war there, and brought back to their original location. Bullet impacts from the Battle of Hong Kong in WWII are still visible on the statues. One of the lion statues had a small explosive embedded in it; it remained undiscovered until the early 1990s, when it was removed by police's explosive unit. I took the photo of the left lion statue myself on 3-11-2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... I took the photo of the left lion statue myself on 3-11-2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants British Army Canadian Army British Indian Army Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed 8,500 POWs 2,750 killed 1,500 wounded For the movie, see The Battle of Hong Kong (film). ...

From a "Feng Shui" point of view, the two bronze lion statues in front of the HSBC headquarter are believed to contribute to the steady revenue of the bank. Although even in Asia, not every architect believes in Feng Shui, most of their customers do. Fēng Shuǐ (風水 – literally, wind and water pronounced fung shuway), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

The original pair of lions are kept at a museum in Shanghai. The lions at HSBC Hong Kong Headquarters are the second pair. A third pair is kept in HSBC Headquarters in London, and a fourth pair is located at its branch in Shanghai. HSBC Tower (building to right is occupied by Credit Suisse First Boston and Bank of America) 8 Canada Square (also known as HSBC Group Head Office, or HSBC Tower) is a skyscraper located in the Canary Wharf development in the London Docklands. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The left lion (the one with the mouth open) is named Stephen, after the general manager of Hong Kong branch A. G. Stephen; and the right is named Stitt, after the general manager of Shanghai branch at the time.

Rumour has it that Stitt used to have its mouth open as well, but this would allow it to "breathe in" the eastern wind, giving it life at night and became a menace to the public. Thus Stitt was recast with its mouth closed.

See also: Imperial guardian lions Categories: Fictional dogs | Stub ...

Lighting scheme

The Headquarters of HSBC at night

In 2003, the Hong Kong Tourism Board developed a harbour lighting plan called "A Symphony of Lights" [1], a large-scale multimedia show featuring lighting, laser, music, and occasionally special pyrotechnics effects during festivals, in order to promote tourism in Hong Kong. The show is based on the illumination of key buildings on the Hong Kong Island side, and is best viewed from the Kowloon side across the Victoria Harbour. The HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building is one of the participating buildings in the show. The building has been installed with 716 intelligent lighting units, including 450 Martin Professional Cyclo 03 colour changing fluorescent fixtures in the glass stairwells, Martin Professional Exterior 600's and Exterior 200 fixtures on five levels, 8 search lights, and over one kilometre of LED lighting around the top. Completed by mid-December 2003, the cost of installation is estimated to be HK$5.5 million. Download high resolution version (800x624, 198 KB)This is a good photograph for showing the prosperity of the Central District in Hong Kong, where the headquarters of many financial services corporations are located. ... Download high resolution version (800x624, 198 KB)This is a good photograph for showing the prosperity of the Central District in Hong Kong, where the headquarters of many financial services corporations are located. ... The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB[1]), is a Government-sub vented body. ... A Symphony of Lights A Symphony of Lights (Chinese: 幻彩詠香江) is an orchestrated light and laser show featured on buildings are situated on both sides of the Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong. ... The night view of the Island side as seen from the Kowloon side - the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Island (Traditional Chinese: 香港島; Simplified Chinese: 香港岛; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dou2; Mandarin Pinyin: Xiānggǎngdǎo) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... External links LEd Category: TeX ...

Intelligent lighting is distributed across six sections of the building:

1. Vertical Ladder Trusses
2. Exoskeleton: Inner + Outer
3. Refuge Floors
4. Northwest Stairwell
5. Eastern Stairwells
6. Roof Building Maintenance Units

HSBC has always aimed to adopt a new lighting scheme because Foster did not pay much attention to the illumination of the building at nighttime.

See also

• List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
• Economy of Hong Kong
• HSBC Centre in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon

This is a list of buildings and structures in Hong Kong. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Education Geography - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The economy of Hong Kong is widely believed to be the economically freest in the world. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building

• HSBC in Asia-Pacific: Unique Headquarters
• HSBC Headquarters Building in Hong Kong - from different angles
• Foster and Partners (Official Architect Website)
• One Space Limited (New lobby and Asian History Wall architect)
• Recent illumination of the HSBC Headquarters Building in Hong Kong