HSBC skyscraper Hong Kong

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Sir Norman Foster's HSBC building (2018)

The HSBC skyscraper Hong Kong or HSBC Main Building ( Chinese  香港滙豐銀行總行大廈  /  香港滙丰银行总行大厦 , Pinyin Xiānggǎng HUIFENG Yinhang Zǒngháng DASHA , Jyutping Hoeng 1 gong 2 Wui 6 Fung 1 Ngan 4 hong 4 Zung 2 hong 4 Daai 6 haa 6 ) is the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Hong Kong , founded there in 1865, which is now fully owned by theHSBC holding is located in London .

history

The current bank building is the fourth to house the company's headquarters in Hong Kong. Like the previous three, it stands at roughly the same point between Statue Square and Queen's Road Central in the Central district in the center of the city. Since 1865 there have been the following buildings:

  • The company's first headquarters, which at that time was still called The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company Limited , moved into the existing Wardley House in 1865. The building was built in 1857 and demolished in 1882.
  • The second building was built on the same spot as a replacement and was ready for occupancy in 1886; it existed until 1933.
  • After the demolition of the second building, which lasted until 1934, a new office building was built, which opened in October 1935 and existed until 1984.
  • The last new building, which still serves as HSBC's headquarters today, was completed and moved into in 1985/1986.

The twelve-story high atrium of the building was the scene of clashes as part of the protests of the Occupy Hong Kong movement from October 2011 to September 2012 and was occupied during this time.

Current building

Atrium of the building with one of the offset escalators

The skyscraper was designed by British architect Norman Foster , who was commissioned with the project by HSBC in 1979. The building is 178.8 meters high, has 52 floors (four of which are underground) and a total usable area of ​​99,000 m². The connection between the floors is provided by 62 elevators, but they do not stop on each floor. The floors in between must be reached via escalators, which should create an additional social component. At the time of completion, the cost was HK $ 5.2 billion or just under US $ 700 million. The building was then and for some time afterwards the most expensive skyscraper in the world.

Architectural style

The outstanding feature of the building is the lack of any supporting load-bearing structures inside; the building was the first of its kind in Hong Kong. The architectural exoskeleton consists of 200 m steel-framed structure without a central concrete core - apart from the steel construction there are no load-bearing walls or other elements made of concrete or similar material. All rooms were built using a modular construction method - usually "attached" to the steel structure. The complex of mandatory escape rooms, equipped with outside balconies, and glazed escape stairs, both of which are attached to the side of the structure, was built in accordance with the (then) building regulations in Hong Kong.

The building's interior lighting also received positive reviews: sunlight can penetrate the lightweight construction relatively unhindered and become the main source of lighting during the day. This effect is reinforced by the installation of numerous mirrors, which direct the sunlight downwards, towards the Ming Tang (main hall).

The construction method was - in view of the standards of the time - sometimes described as revolutionary.

The land on which the skyscraper stands legally belongs to HSBC, but is considered public space as a result of a contract with the city administration from 1983. The building is popular and is used by the residents of Hong Kong, along with the adjacent grounds. This is also because the population regards the old Chinese Feng Shui principles as successful in the building.

The building and Feng Shui

The Far Eastern Feng Shui harmony theory plays an important role in the architecture of Hong Kong. A number of teaching masters working in Hong Kong were also involved as consultants in the architectural design of the HSBC building, which is said to have led to unplanned additional costs. The architect Norman Foster initially ignored the specifications of a Feng Shui master and built the escalators in the atrium according to his original plans. After the master protested to the management of the company, the stairs were rebuilt so that they were at a certain angle to the main entrance, which is supposed to prevent the entry of the ghosts flying in from Victoria Harbor .

The entrance to the bank is guarded by two large bronze lions. The original lions were erected in 1923, the current lions were then re-cast in the mid-1930s and posted in front of the new building after the manager at the time, Sir Vandeleur Grayburn, ordered this after consultation with Feng Shui masters. They have been recreated several times and are considered lucky charms in Hong Kong.

The two "cannons" on the roof

An example of the defense against negative energies that has been widely discussed in the media - as part of the Feng Shui teaching - is the story of the so-called "cannons" on the roof of the HSBC office tower. The background: a triangular floor plan was specially chosen for the neighboring Bank of China Tower . According to the Feng Shui belief, negative energy is sent from the sharp angle (like with a sword) in the direction of - among other things - the HSBC skyscraper. Shortly afterwards, two maintenance cranes, which are shaped like cannons, were installed on the roof of the HSBC building and aim directly at the Bank of China building in order to avert any influences. (Many Hong Kong Chinese also seem to believe in the following story: Another point of the triangular floor plan of the Bank of China Tower, completed in 1990, was aligned with the seat of the former British governor. This is said to influence the ongoing negotiations between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China have and should have been jointly responsible for the return of the crown colony to China.)

Branches in Hong Kong

In addition to the main building, the bank has other business branches in Hong Kong, so-called HSBC Business Centers , namely three branches on the main island of Hong Kong Island , five branches in Kowloon and two branches in New Territories .

Remarks

  1. ^ The Occupy movement is an international socio-political movement against inequality and a lack of democracy; Protests were organized around the world, especially in 2011/2012, including Occupy Germany in Germany.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wardley House / HSBC Headquarters Building (1st Generation) [1857–1882] , online at: gwulo.com/…/6721
  2. ↑ HSBC Headquarters Building (2nd generation) [1886–1933] , online at: gwulo.com/…/100
  3. ↑ HSBC Headquarters Building (3rd generation) [1935–1984] , online at: gwulo.com/…generation
  4. ↑ a b HSBC Headquarters Building (4th generation) [1986–] , online at: gwulo.com/…/4194
  5. ↑ a b Iconic Designs: Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, Hong Kong , online at: abc.net.au/…
  6. ↑ a b c d e f Norman Foster's Hong Kong HSBC headquarters tore up the rule book - a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 45 , online at: theguardian.com/…
  7. ↑ a b Occupy Hong Kong Protesters Forcibly Removed , online at: nytimes.com/…
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g Architecture according to Feng Shui , online at: merian.de/…
  9. ↑ a b c d HSBC Main Building , online at: discoverhongkong.com/…
  10. ↑ a b HSBC Atrium, China , in: arc Magazine from February 18, 2016, online at: arc-magazine.com/...china
  11. ↑ HSBC in Hong Kong , online at: about.hsbc.com.hk/…
  12. ↑ HSBC Building , short entry on structurae , online at: structurae.de / ...
  13. ↑ Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation , short entry on archiweb , online at: archiweb.cz / ...
  14. ↑ a b Feng Shui of the HSBC Headquarters Building in Hong Kong , online at: whitedragonhome.com/…
  15. ^ HSBC Main Building, Hong Kong. Still one of the world's most sophisticated and technology-savvy buildings after 20 years , online at: arup.com / ...
  16. ↑ HSBC Building, China , in: arc Magazine, October 11, 1915, online at: arc-magazine.com/...china-2
  17. ↑ Deyan Sudjic, Norman Foster A Life in Architecture , Chapter "Four: Reinventing the skyscraper", The Overlook Press / Peter Mayer Publishers, New York (NY) 2010, ISBN 978-1-4683-0276-9 , online at: books.google.de / ...
  18. ↑ a b Feng Shui: The Mystical Energy of Hong Kong , online at: spacious.hk/…
  19. ↑ a b The Feng Shui Skyscrapers of Hong Kong , online at: amusingplanet.com/…
  20. ↑ The HSBC Lions , online at: hsbc.com/…lions-factsheet
  21. ↑ Bad Feng Shui Staff Hong Kong Bank , online at: visiontimes.com/…
  22. ↑ Superstitious Minds , an episode of the Canadian documentation serial Doc Zone radio station CBC Television , sent on 30 October 2014 online at: cbc.ca/... (you have a Canadian Proxy)
  23. ↑ Find a center near you , overview of HSBC Hong Kong, online at: business.hsbc.com.hk / ...

Web links

Commons : HSBC Headquarters in Hong Kong  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 22 ° 16 ′ 49.2 "  N , 114 ° 9 ′ 34"  E