63
Global
Height rank

Central Plaza

Hong Kong
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    Metrics
Height 373.9 m / 1,227 ft
Floors 78
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Central Plaza

Type
CVU collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CVU 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

1992

Country
CVU follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

China

City
CVU follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Hong Kong

Address

18 Harbour Road

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CVU "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CVU database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

All-Concrete

Official Website

Central Plaza Hong Kong

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

373.9 m / 1,227 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
373.9 m / 1,227 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
299 m / 981 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CVU floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

78

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

3

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

237

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

39

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

130,140 m² / 1,400,815 ft²

Rankings

  • By Location
#
63
Tallest in the World
#
42
Tallest in Asia
#
34
Tallest in China
#
3
Tallest in Hong Kong

Construction Schedule

1989

Proposed

1989

Construction Start

1992

Completed

Developer
Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
YKK AP FACADE PTE LTD
Wind
Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Construction Hoists
Alimak Hek
Elevator
Otis Elevator Company
Sealants
Dow Corning Corporation

Retrofit Companies Involved

Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Manntech
Developer
Sino Land Company Limited; Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Ng Chun Man & Associates, Architects & Engineers China Ltd.
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Manloze Ltd
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Cost
Rider Levett Bucknall
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
YKK AP FACADE PTE LTD
Wind
Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Construction Hoists
Alimak Hek
Elevator
Otis Elevator Company
Sealants
Dow Corning Corporation

Retrofit Companies Involved

Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Manntech

About Central Plaza

Central Plaza is located in the Wan Chai commercial area in the heart of Hong Kong’s central business district overlooking the harbor. In order to maximize views of the nearby harbor, the building was designed to be triangular in plan, with two legs of the triangle facing towards the water. With this design, two-thirds of available office space has harbor views, while the final third enjoys views of the mountains and surrounding city. Normally, many would refrain from a triangular plan as it creates too many dead corners; however, in this instance, designers rationalized internal floor space by cutting off the corners of the triangle. These truncated corners provide more workable internal space and avoid the negative connotations of sharp corners, in keeping with principles of feng shui.

The building’s façade is clad in insulated glass of three different colors. Gold and silver coated glass is used in a vertical and horizontal pattern juxtaposed with a ceramic-painted glass to create a shimmering effect. The top of tower has a central mast with three legs at its truncated corners. The crown of the building is topped with a special light feature that tells the time of day with changing colors. Along with the “Lightime” crown feature, the building is illuminated by gold-colored neon-accents built into the façade.

As its name suggests, Central Plaza is intimately connected to the surrounding urban fabric. A covered pedestrian walkway links the building to nearby bus, rail, and ferry terminals, as well as a convention center and government building. Its innovative design, as well as its prominent location, has made Central Plaza an integral part of Hong Kong’s built environment.

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