Uploaded on 2019-05-03 by Philip K Ng

This is the new HSBC Hong Kong headquarters located at the centre of the CBD in Hong Kong. The building was finished in November 1985. At the time, it was the most expensive building in the world (roughly US$668 million). It was designed by the British architect Norman Foster and civil & structural engineers Ove Arup & Partners with service design by J. Roger Preston & Partners. The main characteristic of the building is its absence of internal supporting structure. Another notable feature is that natural sunlight is the major source of lighting inside the building. There is a bank of giant mirrors at the top of the atrium, which can reflect natural sunlight into the atrium and hence down into the plaza. Through the use of natural sunlight, this design helps conserve energy. Additionally, sun-shades are provided on the external facades to block direct sunlight going into the building and to reduce heat gain. Instead of fresh water, sea water is used as coolant for the air-conditioning system.