Jardine House
Encyclopedia
Jardine House formerly known as Connaught Centre (康樂大廈), is an office tower in Hong Kong
. The building is located at 1 Connaught Place
, Central
on the Hong Kong Island
. It is owned by Hongkong Land Limited, a subsidiary of Jardines
. At the time of its completion in 1972, Jardine House was the tallest building in Hong Kong and in Asia. In 1980, the Hopewell Centre usurped the title of the tallest building in Hong Kong. The building is interconnected with buildings of Hongkong Land Limited like Exchange Square
and International Finance Centre
by Central Elevated Walkway
.
Jardine House was prominently displayed in the 1988 NBC
television miniseries Noble House
as the headquarters for Struan's.
. The construction of the old Jardine House was finished in 1948. The original building was sold by Jardines during the land acquisition exercise of the Landmark complex
in Central and 20 Pedder Street is now occupied by the Wheelock House.
, under a lease term of 75 years, which was secured by Hongkong Land Limited at a record price of HK$
248 million in 1970, payable interest free over a period of 10 years. In exchange, the Government agreed that no building directly to the north of Jardine House would ever be built to obstruct its views. As a result, the height of General Post Office building
was capped at 120 ft (36.6 m). Building costs were estimated at $120 million. Construction of the fifty-two storey building took 16 months. Metal lettering from the Old Jardine House was salvaged and used in the lobby of the New Jardine House.
The building featured in the 1978 episode titled "The Chinese Web" of "The Amazing Spider Man" TV series.
, while escalators were manufactured by Schindler Elevator
.
The circular design of the windows has earned the building the nickname, "The House of a Thousand Arseholes."
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The building is located at 1 Connaught Place
Connaught Place, Hong Kong
Connaught Place, formerly called Connaught Centre, is a square near Jardine House in Central, Hong Kong.The General Post Office and Exchange Square have Connaught Place addresses....
, Central
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...
on the Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. It is owned by Hongkong Land Limited, a subsidiary of Jardines
Jardines
Jardines can refers to:* Jardines SA - a sports club in Hong Kong* Jardine Matheson Holdings - a multinational corporation that is incorporated in Bermuda...
. At the time of its completion in 1972, Jardine House was the tallest building in Hong Kong and in Asia. In 1980, the Hopewell Centre usurped the title of the tallest building in Hong Kong. The building is interconnected with buildings of Hongkong Land Limited like Exchange Square
Exchange Square (Hong Kong)
The Exchange Square is a building complex located in Central, Hong Kong. It houses offices and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It is served by the Central and Hong Kong stations of the MTR metro system....
and International Finance Centre
International Finance Centre
The International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District....
by Central Elevated Walkway
Central Elevated Walkway
The Central Elevated Walkway is an extensive footbridge network spanning Admiralty and Central, near Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.The system was built in phases by the Hong Kong Government and various developers, such as Hongkong Land, Jardine Matheson Holdings and Shun Tak Holdings. It has...
.
Jardine House was prominently displayed in the 1988 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television miniseries Noble House
Noble House (TV miniseries)
Noble House was an American television miniseries that was produced and broadcast by NBC in 1988. Based upon the novel Noble House by James Clavell, it featured a large cast headlined by Pierce Brosnan as business tycoon Ian Dunross and was directed by Gary Nelson...
as the headquarters for Struan's.
History
Old Jardine House
The new Jardine House tower replaced the old 16-storey Jardine House that was situated at 20 Pedder StreetPedder Street
Pedder Street is a major thoroughfare in the core of Hong Kong’s Central District. It runs south-north from Queen's Road Central, continues through Des Voeux Road Central, and ends at its intersection with Connaught Road Central.-History:...
. The construction of the old Jardine House was finished in 1948. The original building was sold by Jardines during the land acquisition exercise of the Landmark complex
The Landmark (Hong Kong)
The Landmark is an office and shopping development owned by Hong Kong Land in Central, Hong Kong. It is commonly known as the home of numerous prestigious international brands and the gathering place of well-heeled shoppers.-History:...
in Central and 20 Pedder Street is now occupied by the Wheelock House.
New Jardine House
The new building is constructed on a piece of reclaimed landLand reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
, under a lease term of 75 years, which was secured by Hongkong Land Limited at a record price of HK$
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
248 million in 1970, payable interest free over a period of 10 years. In exchange, the Government agreed that no building directly to the north of Jardine House would ever be built to obstruct its views. As a result, the height of General Post Office building
General Post Office, Hong Kong
General Post Office is the headquarters of Hongkong Post. Built in 1976, it is located at Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong. The office is adjacent to former Star Ferry Pier, Jardine House and International Finance Centre...
was capped at 120 ft (36.6 m). Building costs were estimated at $120 million. Construction of the fifty-two storey building took 16 months. Metal lettering from the Old Jardine House was salvaged and used in the lobby of the New Jardine House.
The building featured in the 1978 episode titled "The Chinese Web" of "The Amazing Spider Man" TV series.
Design
The building is constructed with a metal frame, and a curtain wall with round windows. The thickness of the structural frame is reduced because of the shape of the windows. Unusually for a Jardine property, elevators were produced by Otis ElevatorOtis Elevator Company
The Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems today, principally focusing on elevators and escalators...
, while escalators were manufactured by Schindler Elevator
Schindler Group
thumb|200px|Schindler Test Tower in Ebikon, Lucerne, SwitzerlandSchindler was founded in Switzerland in 1874 and is the largest manufacturer of escalators and the second largest manufacturer of elevators world wide. Schindler produces, installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in...
.
The circular design of the windows has earned the building the nickname, "The House of a Thousand Arseholes."
Current tenants
- The tai pan of 怡和 Jardine Matheson keeps an office on the top two floors.
- British Airways and Qantas Airways ticket office is on the 24th floor.
- The Hong Kong headquarters of RolexRolexRolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
are located on the 12th floor. - JPMorgan Chase financial firm has an office on 2 floor.
See also
External links
- Jardine House, Hong Kong Land website
- Pictures of Jardine House at skyscraperphotos.com