International Finance Centre (Hong Kong)

The International Finance Centre, abbreviated as IFC (branded as "ifc") is a skyscraper and an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District.

Not to be confused with International Commerce Centre.

Two International Finance Centre
國際金融中心二期
International Finance Centre
Location within Hong Kong
General information
StatusComplete
TypeCommercial offices
Location8 Finance Street
Central, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°17′6″N 114°9′33″E
Construction started1996
Completed1996
Opening2003
Cost333.33 million US$
Height
Architectural415.0 m (1,361.5 ft)
Tip415.4 m (1,362.9 ft)
Roof407.0 m (1,335.3 ft)
Top floor387.6 m (1,271.7 ft)
Technical details
Floor count96 above ground level,
6 basement floors
Floor area185,805 m2 (1,999,988 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators62
Design and construction
ArchitectCésar Pelli & Association Architects[1]
Executive Architect (Cladding)Adamson Associates Architects
DeveloperSun Hung Kai Properties
Structural engineerOve Arup & Partners
References
[2][3][4][5]
International Finance Centre
Traditional Chinese國際金融中心
Cantonese YaleGwokjai Gāmyùhng Jūngsām

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, IFC consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC Mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the second tallest building in Hong Kong at a height of 415 m, behind the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, and the 31st-tallest building in the world. It is the fourth-tallest building in the Greater China region and the eighth-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; It is of similar height to the former World Trade Center. The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it, with subway lines to Hong Kong International Airport.

IFC was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas.[6]

In 2003, Financial Times, HSBC, and Cathay Pacific put up an advertisement on the facade that stretched more than 50 storeys, covering an area of 19,000 m2 (0.2 million square ft) and a length of 230 m, making it the world's largest advertisement ever put on a skyscraper.[7]

History

Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded in lowercase letters, as "One ifc". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc".[8]

1IFC opened in December 1998, towards the end of the Asian financial crisis. Tenants included ING Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, Fidelity International, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority[9] and the Financial Times.[10]

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority purchased 14 floors in 2IFC;[10] the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation signed a 12-year lease on 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2);[11] Nomura Group agreed to take 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) at 2 IFC; the Financial Times, an existing tenant at One IFC, took 10,000 sq ft (900 m2).[10] Ernst & Young took six floors (from the 11th to 18th floors), or about 180,000 square feet (16,700 m2), in 2IFC, to become the biggest tenant.[12]

2IFC, which was completed at the height of the SARS epidemic,[9] was initially available to rent at HK$25-HK$35 per square foot.[13] In 2007, as the economy has improved, high quality ("Grade A") office space is highly sought after; rents for current leases are $150 per square foot as of March 2007.[14]

The IFC's towers have featured in several Hollywood films, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, where Lara Croft leaps off the then-under-construction 2 International Finance Centre, landing on a ship out in the Kowloon Bay, and The Dark Knight, where Batman leapt from 2 IFC to 1 IFC, where an action scene then takes place.[15]

The 88th floor of 2IFC is the backdrop of core scenes of the German Thriller "Im Schatten der Lombardis" by Berit Paton Reid, a German writer based in Dubai, UAE.

One International Finance Centre
One International Finance Centre
IFC mall Phase 1 shopping arcade

One International Finance Centre was opened in 6 July 1998. It is 688 feet (210 m) tall,[16] has 39 stories and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,800 m2). Completed in 2004, has a similar design and appearance with the “Two IFC”. The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.

Two International Finance Centre

Two International Finance Centre, completed in 18 October 2003, is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall. This 415-metre-tall (1,362 ft) building, currently Hong Kong's second tallest, is quoted as having 88 storeys and 22 high-ceiling trading floors to qualify as being extremely auspicious in Cantonese culture. It is, however, short of the magic number, because "taboo floors" like 14th and 24th are omitted as being inauspicious – In Cantonese "4" is pronounced similarly to "death" .

The highrise is designed to accommodate financial institutions. For example, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is located at the 55th floor. It is equipped with advanced telecommunications, raised floors for flexible cabling management, and nearly column-free floor plans. The building expects to accommodate up to 15,000 people. It is one of relatively few buildings in the world equipped with double-deck elevators.

The 55th, 56th, and the 77th to 88th floors were bought by the HKMA for US$480 million in 2001.[11] 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.[17]

Despite common practice for owners to allow naming buildings after its important tenants, the owners decided not to allow renaming of the building.[18]

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

The Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built near the IFC One and Two. It was completed and opened in October 2005. The 206 m (674 ft), 60-storey oceanfront hotel is the only Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. The hotel has 399 guest suites, and 519 serviced apartments. Amenities include a French restaurant Caprice and spa.[19]

IFC Mall

It is an 74,000 square metres (800,000 sq ft), 4-storey shopping mall, with many luxury retail brands and wide variety of restaurants. The first official Apple Store was also located in this mall (a 3-storey flagship store in Hong Kong). In May 2018, the first Shake Shack restaurant was opened in the mall.[20]

2 International Finance Centre
  • Map of the IFC
  • Two IFC in the evening. The 3rd-generation Star Ferry Pier can be seen in the lower part of the image.
  • The office lobby in Two IFC
  • IFC2 seen left and IFC1 on the right
  • The headquarters of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority at 2 IFC.

International Finance Centre Mall
  • Various shops inside the IFC mall
  • Fashion show in the IFC mall
  • Level 4 roof garden is public open space
  • First Apple Store in Hong Kong, IFC mall.

See also

References
  1. "International Finance Centre, Basic Information".
  2. "Two International Finance Centre". CTBUH Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  3. Two International Finance Centre at Emporis. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  4. "Two International Finance Centre". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  5. Two International Finance Centre at Structurae. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. "IFC owner opposes plan for neighbours". SCMP. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  7. "Vertigo World's Largest Outdoor Advert". Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  8. ifc site: "One and Two ifc" Archived 10 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Bloomberg (18 June 2003). "Tenanting tallest tower looks likely to be a tall order". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  10. Lau, Eli (22 September 2003). "SHKP net profit tipped to drop 24.6pc". The Standard. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  11. Tong, Sebastian (7 April 2003). "HKMC 'to pay $90m' for lease at Two IFC". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  12. Wang, Raymond (13 November 2003). "Interest grows in mega project". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  13. Wallis, Keith (22 October 2003). "2IFC optimism". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  14. Kuo, Patricia (11 March 2007). "Hong Kong's IFC gets $242 billion loan". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  15. Pulver, Andrew. "Top 10 films set in Hong Kong". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  16. 1 International Finance Centre, Skyscraperpage.com
  17. "HKMA Information Centre". Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  18. Danny Chung, Name of the game is signage rights Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 23 June 2006
  19. Ann Collier, Room at the top for elite Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, Monday, 13 June 2005
  20. "It's official: we have the opening date of Shake Shack!". Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 26 March 2020.

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