Cheung Kong Center
Encyclopedia
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
designed by Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
. It is 62 storeys tall with height of 283 m (928.5 ft) and a gross floor area of 1260000 square feet (117,057.8 m²). When completed in 1999, it was the third-tallest building in the city. It sits on the combined sites of the former Hong Kong Hilton
Hong Kong Hilton
Hong Kong Hilton was a hotel in Central, Hong Kong. Built in 1963, the 26 storey hotel was initially the only 5-star hotel on the island side of the territory...
, which was demolished in 1995/6, and Beaconsfield House
Beaconsfield House
Beaconsfield House was a government office building in Hong Kong's Central district.Built in 1963, the building was home to the Information Services Department until it was demolished along with the neighbouring Hong Kong Hilton in 1995 to make way for the Cheung Kong Center.-Plot history:The ...
, sold by the Government in 1996. It stands between the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building
HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building
The HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong . The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down...
and the Bank of China Tower. As is common in Hong Kong, coloured lights on the sides of the building illuminate at night in intricate light shows
A Symphony of Lights
A Symphony of Lights is a synchronised building exterior decorative light and laser multimedia display, featuring 44 buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong accompanied by music. The technology was developed by Australian firm Laservision and cost approximately 44 million HK...
.
The building is the headquarters of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited ("CKH"), and is owned and managed by its 49%-owned associated company Hutchison Whampoa Limited
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
("HWL"), while other tenants include several multinational banking firms.
Development and land purchase
The 26-storey Hilton Hotel building and its site, Inland Lot 7702, was owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of HWL, which licensed Hilton Hotels GroupHilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Worldwide is a global hospitality company. It is owned by the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. As of July 2011 Hilton brands encompass 3,750 hotels with over 600,000 rooms in 84 countries...
to operate it for 50 years. In January 1994, with about 20 years of the management contract to run, HWL announced the buyout of the unexpired term for US$125 million.
HWL had originally planned to redevelop the Hilton site into a high-rise office-retail complex, yielding a gross floor area of 584970 square feet (54,345.5 m²). HWL was keen to enlarge the redevelopment project by merging the hotel site with a neighbouring site to gain a greater efficiency, and commenced private talks with the Government in May 1993 with a view to acquiring the adjacent 33700 square feet (3,130.8 m²) car park site, and the 18300 square feet (1,700.1 m²) Beaconsfield House
Beaconsfield House
Beaconsfield House was a government office building in Hong Kong's Central district.Built in 1963, the building was home to the Information Services Department until it was demolished along with the neighbouring Hong Kong Hilton in 1995 to make way for the Cheung Kong Center.-Plot history:The ...
site from the Government. Talks were finalised in August 1995.
The Executive Council approved in principle the sale of the sites in April 1995..
In September 1995, the Urban Planning Committee of the Town Planning Board passed the proposals for the 9,900 m² combined site. With a plot ratio of 15, 1600000 sq ft (148,644.9 m²) building (including the 1000-space car park) could be built. The developer agreed with the planners that most of the building would actually be weighted on the Hilton site, so much of the car park and Beaconsfield house area would be given over to park and public amenities..
On 28 May 1996, Director of Lands Bob Pope disclosed that the land premium for developing the combined site was HK$3.02bn (South China Moring Post, 29 May 1996). The 1996 annual report of HWL reflects the new lease of Inland Lot 8887, with a site area of approximately 103,937 sq ft. The gross floor area of the building is recorded as 1,254,158 sq ft in the 2002 annual report and 1,263,363 sq ft in the 2003 and subsequent annual reports.
Building design
The Cheung Kong Center is somewhat unusual in the Hong Kong Island skyline, being one of the few taller buildings to follow a conventional design like an American black office block, in contrast to the cacophony of architectural styles that had gathered along that section of Queens Road. However, it was not aimed at stealing the limelight, most notably from the Bank of China Tower, rather it is intended to balance out its neighbouring skyscrapers. A a feng shuiFeng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
master was consulted on ways to absorb the negative energy coming from the Bank of China's sharp edges or "cleaver". The Cheung Kong Center's maximum height was determined by drawing an imaginary line from the Bank of China Tower to the HSBC Headquarters, so it falls just short of the "supertall" skyscraper distinction (300 meters or higher).
Its external walls are uniform glass panels each measuring 2.4 m x 2.1 m, giving occupants on high floors a 360-degree panoramic view over the entire city. The walls also hold a matrix of lights which can be individually activated to form characters to display different messages or patterns according to the season.
Its large floor plates range from 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) to 22000 sq ft (2,043.9 m²). Tenants can customise an entire office plan at very little expense, as there are no obstructing columns on the floor plan. Offices are all designed with the advanced raised floor system through which air-conditioning and an advanced fibre-optic network accessible to all tenants is ducted.
It boasts the region's fastest state of the art elevators, made by Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
, maxing out at 9 metres per second
Metre per second
Metre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed and velocity , defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds....
. Each elevator features giant plasma displays at the top of each cabin, showing Bloomberg TV.
It is one of many skyscrapers and giant structures worldwide that have been climbed by Alain Robert
Alain Robert
Alain Robert , is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France...
, the Frenchman known as "Spiderman". He has climbed the building twice, most recently on 17 February 2009.
Tenants
The top floorPenthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
is used by the Chairman of CKH and HWL, Li Ka Shing
Li Ka Shing
Sir Ka-shing Li, GBM, KBE, JP is a Chinese business magnate based in Hong Kong. He is the richest person of East Asian descent in the world and the eleventh richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of US$26.0 billion on 10 March 2011...
, as his office. It also contains a private swimming pool and garden. Li is often seen escorted and takes a freight elevator operated in attendant mode so that it does not stop on any other floor.
Other tenants of the building include Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
, Barclays Capital
Barclays Capital
Barclays Capital is a global British investment bank. It is the investment banking division of Barclays plc which has a balance sheet of over £1.2 trillion . Barclays Capital provides financing and risk management services to large companies, institutions and government clients. It is a primary...
, Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, CIBC World Markets
CIBC World Markets
CIBC World Markets is the investment banking subsidiary of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The firm operates as an investment bank both in the domestic and international equity and debt capital markets...
, Fortis
Fortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
, Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
, McKinsey & Co., PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
, RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
, and Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons is an international legal practice with over 1,500 people and 19 offices located throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its largest office is located in London, where almost half its legal staff are based....
.
Goldman Sachs (Asia) is reported to have signed a 12-year lease on eight-and-a-half office floors, becoming the leading tenant. Hutchison is believed to have offered up to two- and-a-half years rent-free period.