80
Global
Height rank

The Center

Hong Kong
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
346 m / 1,135 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
346 m / 1,135 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
275 m / 902 ft
1 2 3 The Center
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
73
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
3
Height 346 m / 1,135 ft
Floors 73
Official Name
The current legal building name.

The Center

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

1998

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

China

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Hong Kong

Address

99 Queen`s Road, Central

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

All-Steel

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

346 m / 1,135 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
346 m / 1,135 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
275 m / 902 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

73

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

3

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

400

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

41

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

12 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

130,032 m² / 1,399,653 ft²

Rankings

  • By Location
#
80
Tallest in the World
#
49
Tallest in Asia
#
42
Tallest in China
#
5
Tallest in Hong Kong

Construction Schedule

1995

Construction Start

1998

Completed

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Maunsell AECOM Group
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Parsons Brinckerhoff Consultants Private Limited
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Quantity Surveyor
Langdon & Seah
Wind
Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Cladding
POHL Group
Sealants
Dow Corning Corporation
Owner
Mirae Asset Daewoo
Developer
Cheung Kong Holdings; Land Development Corporation
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers (HK) Ltd. (DLN)
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Maunsell AECOM Group
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Associated Consulting Engineers; Parsons Brinckerhoff Consultants Private Limited
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Paul Y - ITC Construction
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Quantity Surveyor
Langdon & Seah
Vertical Transportation
Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation (TELC)
Wind
Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Cladding
POHL Group
Fire Proofing
Grace Construction Products
Sealants
Dow Corning Corporation

CTBUH Initiatives

 

Videos

20 October 2016 | Hong Kong

Skyscrapers in Hong Kong

Thursday October 20, 2016. Hong Kong, China. Eric Ma of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region presents at the 2016 China Conference Plenary 6: Hong Kong...

 

Research

10 October 2004

Learning from the Past - Tall Buildings and the Evolution of Old Cities

Dennis Lau Wing-Kwong & Alexander Lush, Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers

The paper draws attention to the similarities of the impact of high-rise structures upon historical cities with past new development and re-development, particularly with respect...

 

About The Center

The Center is a 73-story office building in the old Central District of Hong Kong. The project was one the first large urban renewal developments undertaken through the agency of the Land Development Corporation (now known as the Urban Renewal Authority) working in collaboration with private sector property developers. The tower symbolizes the dramatic renaissance of the neighborhood brought about by the new development.

An irregularly shaped building site precluded the construction of a conventional rectangular building, but allowed for many entrances enhancing pedestrian accessibility, and created novel open spaces for public use. The challenge presented by the building site was met with the elegant solution of an eight-pointed star-shaped building plan, generated by offsetting two squares by 45-degrees. This unique design allows more daylight to flood the extensive perimeter of the building than would be offered by a similarly sized building with a rectangular floor plate.

The structure is made entirely from steel, with no reinforced concrete core, and is clad with a curtain wall of silver reflective glass. Most notably, the building is encased in low-voltage neon bars that increase in number along its height. A uniquely shaped spire adds a special touch to the form of the building.

There are numerous outdoor spaces and entrances to the site, ranging from small gardens to a formal entrance plaza in the front. The tower superstructure and gallery of shops are both elevated above ground to open up more space around the building. Bamboo, reaching the height of three stories, elevated planter boxes, and banners all frame the public open spaces, creating a green oasis in the heart of a dense urban area. In the Central District in particular, with its very compact layout, the transformation of the pedestrian environment achieved by The Center is dramatic.