International Commerce Centre

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International Commerce Center 環球貿易廣場
The International Commerce Center CG illustration
Information
Location	Hong Kong
Coordinates	22°18′12.21″N 114°9′36.61″E / 22.3033917, 114.1601694Coordinates: 22°18′12.21″N 114°9′36.61″E / 22.3033917, 114.1601694
Status	Under construction
Groundbreaking	2002
Estimated completion	2010
Use	Mixed use, hotel, observation, office, parking garage, retail
Roof	484.0 m (1,587.9 ft)
Top floor	476.0 m (1,561.7 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	118
Floor area	262,176 m² (2,822,039 sq ft)
Elevator count	Passenger lifts 30 Shuttle lifts 14 VIP lifts 2
Companies
Architect	Architect Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd. Design Architect Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Landscape Architect Belt Collins & Associates
Structural Engineer	Arup
Developer	Sun Hung Kai Properties
Management	Kai Shing Management Services Limited
References: [1][2]

International Commerce Centre (traditional Chinese: 環球貿易廣場) (abbr. ICC) is a 118 story, 484 m (1,587.9 ft.) skyscraper under construction in West Kowloon, Hong Kong; as part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station. The development is owned and jointly developed by MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP); Hong Kong's metro operator and largest property developer respectively.

Its formal development name is Union Square Phase 7; and the name International Commerce Centre was officially announced in 2005. Upon completion by 2010, the skyscraper will become Hong Kong's tallest building and will have the third highest roof in the world, after the Burj Dubai complex and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

SHKP, together with another major Hong Kong developer, Henderson Land, also co-developed the current record holder for Hong Kong's tallest building, 2 IFC; located directly across Victoria Harbour in Central, Hong Kong Island.

[edit] Development

A simplified map of Union Square showing the location of the International Commerce Centre.

The height has been scaled back from earlier plans due to regulations that didn't allow buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains. The original proposal for this building was called Kowloon Station Phase 7 and it was supposed to be 102 floors and 574 m (1,883 feet) tall. However, the roof is still set to reach 490 m (1,608 feet)^[3][4], taller than the roof of the proposed Freedom Tower in New York, though shorter than the roofs of the Burj Dubai, Chicago Spire, and the Shanghai World Financial Center. It will tower 75 m (247 feet) over the current tallest in Hong Kong, 2 IFC.

The tower was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.

[edit] Tenants

A five-star hotel operated by Ritz-Carlton will occupy the top 15 floors of the tower. The hotel's lobby is at 425 meters (1,394 feet) above the ground, becoming the highest hotel in the world when completed, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Jin Mao Tower in Pudong, Shanghai.

[edit] Current progress

International Commerce Centre as of 22 September 2007

As of 2 May 2008, the concrete core is at level 102 and the core's height is about 419.5 m (1,376 ft).

At its basement is the Elements shopping mall, which has already been opened in October 2007. Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse have confirmed moving into ICC and will occupy 10 floors each ^[5], Deutsche Bank also confirmed to move in and will occupy 12 floors with the option to expand to 18 floors.

A viewing deck on the 100th floor will be opened to the public when the building opens.

[edit] Gallery

ICC under construction on April 2005	ICC under construction on July 2005	West Kowloon station construction site near the ICC, September 2006	ICC under construction on 6 December 2006	ICC under construction on the left on 25 February 2007. To the right are the buildings The Harbourside (blue) and The Arch (red). The Sorrento towers can be seen in the back in between the ICC and the Harbourside.
ICC under construction on 31 March 2007	ICC under construction on 16 July 2007	A view of The Union Square buildings on 29 August 2007	ICC under construction on 1 October 2007	ICC seen from the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade on October, 2007
ICC under construction on Jan 2008	ICC under construction, March 2008	ICC under construction, May 2008

[edit] See also

• List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong
• List of skyscrapers
• List of tallest freestanding structures in the world

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

International Commerce Centre

• Building's website
• Elements shopping mall official website
• Union Square
• Emporis article on International Commerce Centre
• Original proposal
• Skyscraperpage.com