HSBC Main Building, Hong Kong

HSBC Main Building
香港上海滙豐銀行總行大廈
HSBC Main Building in June 2008
Location within Hong Kong
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Commercial offices
Architectural style	Structural Expressionism
Location	1 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong
Coordinates	22°16′48″N 114°9′34″E / 22.28000°N 114.15944°E / 22.28000; 114.15944Coordinates: 22°16′48″N 114°9′34″E / 22.28000°N 114.15944°E / 22.28000; 114.15944
Construction started	1983
Completed	1985
Cost	US$780 million
Height
Roof	178.8 m (586.6 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	44
Floor area	99,000 m2 (1,065,627 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	28
Design and construction
Architect	Foster and Partners
Structural engineer	Ove Arup & Partners Cleveland Bridge Ltd.
Quantity surveyor	WT Partnership
Main contractor	Wimpey International
References

HSBC Main Building (Chinese: 香港滙豐總行大廈) is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which is today a wholly owned subsidiary of London-based HSBC Holdings. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong (built in 1869, demolished in 1933). The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down to make way for the current building. The address remains as 1 Queen's Road Central (the north facing side of the building was served by Des Voeux Road, which was seashore, making Queen's Road was the main entrance, in contrast to modern day that usually accessed the bank from Des Voeux Road). The building can be reached from Exit K of Central MTR Station and facing Statue Square.

The first HSBC (then known as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company Limited) building was Wardley House, used as HSBC office between 1865 and 1882 on the present site. In 1864 the lease cost HKD 500 a month. After raising a capital of HKD 5 million, the bank opened its door in 1865.

Wardley House was subsequently demolished and replaced by a second HSBC building, that was completed in 1886. The main feature of the second building design was the division of the structure into two almost separate buildings. The building on Queen's Road Central was in Victorian style with a verandah, colonnades and an octagonal dome, whereas the arcade which harmonised with the adjacent buildings was constructed on Des Voeux Road.

In 1935, the second building was demolished and a third design was erected. The third design used part of the land of the old City Hall, and was built in a mixed Art Deco and Stripped Classical style. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building served as the government headquarters. It was the first building in Hong Kong to be fully air-conditioned. By the 1970s the bank had outgrown its headquarters; departments were scattered into offices all over Central Hong Kong, and it was obvious that such a "solution" to the space limitations could not continue indefinitely. In 1978 the bank decided to tear down its headquarters and rebuild it again.