International Finance Centre

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Two International Finance Centre
Information
Location	Hong Kong, China
Status	Complete
Constructed	2003
Use	Office
Height
Antenna/Spire	415.8 m (1364 ft.)
Roof	406.9 m (1,335')
Top floor	401.9 m (1,319')
Technical Details
Floor count	90
Floor area	185,805 m²
Elevator count	62
Companies
Architect	César Pelli

International Finance Centre (abbr. IFC, branded as "ifc") is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District (22°17′6.82″N, 114°9′33.45″E).

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, it consists of two skyscrapers, the ifc mall, and the 40-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong, usurping the place once occupied by Central Plaza. The complex was developed by a consortium lead by Sun Hung Kai Properties & MTR Corp. The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.

[edit] One International Finance Centre

One International Finance Centre was completed in 1998 and opened in 1999. It is 210 m tall[1], has 38 storeys and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,850 m²). The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.

[edit] Two International Finance Centre

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 auspicious 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 bulding 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 [2]

The rankings are based on structural heights; by roof height only Taipei 101 and Sears Tower exceed it.

[edit] Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

The Four Seasons Hotel was completed in 2005. The 40-storey waterfront hotel is the first Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.

[edit] ifc as a brand

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded as "One ifc". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc". The buildings have attracted tenants such as 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.

Through its location, array of big-name retailers, and transport connections, it also aims to attract visitors to the ifc mall, which features a number of top fashion, health & skin care, jewellery 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.

[edit] 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 US$ 480 million.
• 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.
• 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.
• Two ifc's reign as Hong Kong's tallest will not be long, as Union Square Phase 7 built above the MTR Kowloon station is under construction and will claim the title in 2010.
• 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 Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.
• The 88th floor of the tower contains the office of the Chief Executive of the HK Monetary Authority, and is served by an individual lift.
• The tower is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall.
• Some locals as well as tourists criticised that the tower obstructed the famous view of Victoria Harbour from the Peak.
• Both 1 IFC, and 2 IFC to a lesser extent, resemble 30 Hudson Street in Jersey City, a tower also designed by César Pelli.

[edit] Image gallery

The ifc logo on the building facade</td>	Two ifc at night	Two IFC from Victoria Peak against the backdrop of other buildings and the harbor.	Various shops and a cinema inside the ifc mall
Fashion show in the ifc mall	The office lobby in Two ifc	The Hong Kong Station in ifc	Airline passengers' check-in at Hong Kong Station, next to the ifc
A flyover from ifc to the outlying island piers (Small) The Lantau Island Pier	A station of the Airport Express is beneath ifc	Four Seasons Hotel under construction	IFC mall near the MTR HK Station
The 1ifc (right) and the 2ifc (left) as seen from the Star Ferry Pier at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

[edit] See also

• List of the world's tallest structures
• List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong

[edit] External links

• Satellite image of ifc by Google Maps
• ifc's website
• Emporis - Two International Finance Centre
• Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
• ifc website case study

de:2 International Finance Centre es:Two International Finance Centre fr:Two International Finance Center nl:Two International Financial Centre ja:香港国際金融中心 no:International Finance Centre pt:Two International Finance Centre ru:Международный финансовый центр tr:2 Uluslararası Finans Merkezi zh:國際金融中心 (香港)