The International Commerce Centre is a 108-storey, supertall skyscraper on top of Elements mall and near Kowloon station in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It is the world's 13th tallest by height, 10th tallest by number of floors, also Hong Kong's tallest and the only building with over 100 storeys. The official height is 490 m, which made by the 6 m tall parapets on the roof. It was the world's 4th tallest and 3rd in Asia when completed in 2010.
The south side of the building faces Victoria Harbour, and directly opposite Hong Kong's second tallest building, the International Finance Centre.
History
MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively, were responsible for the development of this skyscraper. Known in development as Union Square Phase 7, its current name was officially announced in 2005. The International Commerce Centre was completed in phases from 2007 to 2010. The tower opened in 2011, with the Ritz-Carlton opening in late March and the observatory in early April.
The height had been scaled back from earlier plans due to regulations that did not allow buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains. The original proposal for this building was called Kowloon Station Phase 7 and it was designed to be tall with 102 floors. It would have risen over the then-current tallest in Hong Kong, 2 International Finance Centre.
The tower was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang. It was built by Sanfield, the construction subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai.
Construction work was temporarily halted on 13 September 2009, due to an lift shaft accident that killed six workers.
Floor count
The top floor is numbered 118. Due to the number "4", meaning to unlucky in Cantonese, and tetraphobia to buildings, is quite common in Hong Kong. (2 International Finance Centre, Nina Tower and private housing estate, as examples); plus, "missing level" makes the levels "be higher"! (Example: the top floor of The Cullinan is "93", in fact, 68). Except for level 3, 103 and 113, levels with "3" in the last digit were also skipped, and level 5, 6, 7, 26, 28, 29 & 105 missing as well for unknown reason.
They are currently replaced by levels with letter "M" and "R", which stand for "Mechanical" and "Refuge". Although the levels missing, it still shows on the elevator's screen of Sky100 and Skydining 101 while going up and down.
28 floors were skipped: 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 43, 44, 53, 54, 63, 64, 73, 74, 83, 84, 93, 94, 104, 105, 114. 18 floors were added: UG, M1-1, M1-2, M1-3, M1-5, R1, R2, M2-1, M2-2, R3, M3-1, M3-2, R4, M4-1, M4-2, M4-3, M5, M6
Floor directory
It takes 68 seconds to the world's 14th highest observation deck, Sky100, from the lobby on level 2; along with Elements, and the skyway (behind the main entrance of Sky100) to West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). "Skydining" in Asian and Western style, including Inakaya, Odyssée, Perla, The Sky Boss and The Kitin, sits on level 101 at 399 m above sea level.
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong occupies level 3, 8, 9 and the top 17 floors (M4-3 to 118), offering 312 rooms as well as the world's highest bar, fitness center and swimming pool set on the top floor. The office floors are located on level 10 to 99, including a mechanical floor and refuge level; in which, the sky lobbies set on level 48 and 49, and the fitness center "SPACE" on level 20. Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank have become anchor tenants of ICC's offices since 2008.
The ICC Light and Music Show
The LED light show set a new Guinness World Records for the “largest light and sound show on a single building” using a total of 50,000 m2 on two facades of the ICC. The Show is designed by the lighting design supervisor, Hirohito Totsune, who already designed the lighting system of the Tokyo Skytree. It creates a theme and story line by using lights and music elements, similar to "A Symphony of Lights" in Victoria Harbour.
Gallery
See also
List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong
List of tallest buildings in China
List of tallest buildings
References
External links
Article about the International Commerce Centre in Building Journal, April 2011. Elements shopping mall official website Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd., "More than half-a-century of architectural design experience in Hong Kong", section "International Commerce Centre and The Cullinan", pp. 31–33, September 2009