International Commerce Centre / KPF / Hong Kong

International Commerce Centre

• Architects:  Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Wong & Ouyang
• Location:  Hong Kong, China
• Client/Developer:  Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
• Structural Engineer:  ARUP,  Leslie E. Robertson Associates
• Structural Materials:  Composite  (Core: Reinforced Concrete; Columns: Reinforced Concrete; Floor Spanning: Steel)
• Building Type:  Hospitality, Mixed-Use, Office, Retail, Supertall  
• Project Area:  260,200 m2 / 2,800,000 ft2
• Building Height:  484 m / 1,587 ft  
• Units:  300 Rooms
• Project Dates:  2000-2010
• MEP Engineer:  J. Roger Preston Limited
• Project Manager:  Harbour Vantage
• Main Contractor:  China State Construction Engineering Corporation; Sanfield Building Contractors Limited
• Cost Consultant:  WT Partnership
• Facade Consultant:  Meinhardt
• Fire Consultant:  ARUP
• Landscape Consultant:  Belt Collins & Associates
• Lighting Consultant:  Lighting Planners Associates
• Vertical Transportation:  Lerch Bates
• Wind Consultant:  Cermak Peterka Petersen (CPP) Inc., RWDI
• Elevator Consultant:  Schindler; Sematic S.r.l
• Steel Consultant:  China Construction Steel Structure Corporation

International Commerce Centre

The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

The International Commerce Centre represents a shift in the tall building paradigm to include not only achievements in height, design, and engineering, but also the most forward-thinking moves towards connectivity for smart growth in a highly dense region.

This shimmering tower serves as a beacon to the Hong Kong Harbor, creating the perfect gateway with its counterpart, 2 IFC. The way in which the scaled facade sweeps outward at the base into a grand canopy is beautiful and creates a strong relationship with the rest of the Kowloon Station Development. The building is an elegant silhouette - the fourth tallest in the world.

KPF's 118-story tower accommodates offices, a 360 degree observation deck, and the world's highest hotel. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. The tower is the centerpiece of the Union Square reclamation project, establishing a new urban center with office, retail, hotel and recreation spaces, as well as a new transportation hub, Kowloon Station, which connects to Central, Hong Kong, the International Airport and Mainland China via a network of high speed rail, subway, buses and ferry terminals.

The tower's subtly tapered re-entrant corners and the gently sloped curves at its base are designed to optimize its structural performance. These curves splay out at the base of the tower, rooting the tower in it's surroundings, while creating sheltering canopies on the three sides, and a dramatic atrium on the north side. The atrium gestures towards the rest of the development and serves as a public connection space for retail and rail station functions. KPF's scheme succeeds in the high-rise building model with a highly efficient structural and operational agenda.

The architect collaborated with the facade engineers at ALT Cladding Consultants to break down the apparent complexity of the curtain wall system into a few highly repetitive components. Each shingled panel is rotated exactly five degrees with respect to the "smooth" geometric surface, yielding just three wall types consisting of 5,6 and 8 degree panels from the base to the top. The catenary or curve, of the dragon tail was approximately by three tangential arc segments of varying radii that, when subdivided, yielding panels of equal dimension which were similarly rotated five degree from the defining geometry. According to Permasteelisa, who fabricated and installed the curtain wall, three-quarters of the total facade area was built up from only 134 panel types.

The aesthetic appeal of the tower's external envelope is matched by its environmental performance. Sheathed by silver, low-emissivity insulating glass, the tower's single layer skin provides the maximum protection from solar heat gain while deploying a minimum amount of facade material. The silver coating has the unique quality of reflecting the heat generating spectrum of sunlight (infrared, ultraviolet), while allowing the desirable visible light spectrum to transmit through the facade. The optical properties of the glass, supplied by Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington, include an emissivity rating of 0.15, a visible light transmission of 4%, and a shading coefficient of 0.27 - more than three times the protection of uncoated glass.

According to Sun Hung Kai Properties, ICC will be the first building equipped with the new technology, which is expected to reduce energy consumption by 15% compared with the average office building.

More than an iconic statement, ICC fundamentally alters the way tall buildings are seen today. Rather than objects in isolation, transit integrated tall buildings represent a sustainable model for future high-rise development. ICC, through its economy of structure, scale, and form, achieves a balance of efficiency and artistry. Its understated elegance speaks to a future of tall buildings that need neither twist nor strain to achieve new heights and lasting relevance. As a development ICC is a strategic real estate success that lives up to the building's name.

According to Sun Hung Kai, 90% of the office space is leased or spoken for. First phase tenants include Morgan Stanley and ICICI Bank, India's second biggest. Deutsche Bank and Shinhan Bank, Korea's largest, are in the process of moving into the tower's second phase. Third phase tenants include Credit Suisse and ING Asia Pacific.