Hong

Kong
and Shanghai
Bank
Headquarters

Universitas
Diponegoro
Fakultas
Teknik Jurusan
Arsitektur
Dosen Pembimbing:
Dra. Ajeng Atrina
Disusun Oleh:
1. Muhammad Suryo Aji
Riyanto 21020112140149
2. Muhammad Barry Budi
Prima 21020112140
3. Manggala Saning Putra
21020112140165
4. Sagita
Firmansyah
21020112140170

DESCRIPTION

Conceived during a sensitive

period in the former colony's
history,
the
brief
for
the
Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Headquarters was a statement of
confidence: to create 'the best
bank building in the world'.
Through a process of questioning
and challenging including the
involvement
of
a
fengshui
geomancer

the
project
addressed the nature of banking
in Hong Kong and how it should
be expressed in built form. In
doing so it virtually reinvented the
office tower.
The requirement to build in
excess of a million square feet in
a short timescale suggested a
high degree of prefabrication,
including
factory-finished
modules, while the need to build
downwards
and
upwards
simultaneously
led
to
the
adoption
of
a
suspension
structure, with pairs of steel
masts arranged in three bays.
As a result, the building form is
articulated in a stepped profile of
three
individual
towers,
respectively twenty-nine, thirtysix and forty-four storeys high,
which create floors of varying
width and depth and allow for
garden
terraces.
The
mast
structure allowed another radical
move, pushing the service cores
to the perimeter to create deepplan floors around a ten-storey
atrium. A mirrored 'sunscoop'
reflects sunlight down through the
atrium to the floor of a public
plaza below - a sheltered space,
which at weekends has become a
lively picnic spot. From the plaza,
escalators rise up through the

glass underbelly to the banking

hall, which was conceived as a
'shop window for banking'.
The 'bridges' that span between
the masts define double-height
reception areas that break down
the scale of the building both
visually and socially.
A unique system of movement
through the building combines
high-speed lifts to the reception
spaces with escalators beyond,
reflecting village-like clusters of
office floors. From the outset, the
Bank placed a high priority on
flexibility. Interestingly, over the
years, it has been able to
reconfigure office layouts with
ease, even incorporating a large
dealers' room into one floor a
move that could not have been
anticipated when the building was
designed.

History
The first HSBC (then known as the
Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking

Company Limited) building was

Wardley House, used as HSBC
office between 1865 to 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.
It was demolished in 1886 and
rebuilt in the same year.
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.

The third design of the HSBC

headquarters building in 1936
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.
Locally, it was the first building in
Hong Kong to be fully airconditioned.
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.
The building was finished on
November 18, 1985. At the time,
it was the most expensive
building in the world (c.a.HK$5.2
billion, roughly US$668 million).
The first major addition to the
building, designed by Hong Kong's
One Space Ltd, was completed on
November 23, 2006, in the form
of a ground floor lobby that
improves security access to the
upper floors and creates a
prestigious reception area. Its
design and construction included
the installation of the "Asian Story
Wall", a multimedia installation
consisting of twin banks of 30
seamless plasma screens (the
largest installation of its kind in
Hong Kong) displaying archived
bank heritage and artworks.
The atrium of the HSBC building
was the site of the Occupy Hong
Kong protests which maintained a
presence in the building from
October 15, 2011 until their
eviction in September 2012.

CONTRUCTION
Engineering precision
Foster's solution was to design a
building the construction of which
would rely on an exceptionally
high
degree
of
off-site
prefabrication. Components were
manufactured all over the world.
The structural steel came from
Britain; the glass, aluminium
cladding and flooring from the
United
States;
the
service
modules from Japan. All these had
to fit together perfectly on site,
calling for a degree of precision in

engineering and assembly never

before
attempted
in
the
construction of a building.
The most conspicuous features of
the building are the eight groups
of four aluminium-clad steel
columns, which rise from the
foundations up through the main
structure, and the five levels of
triangular
suspension
trusses
which are locked into these
masts. From these trusses are
suspended five groups of floors.
They can be seen clearly on the
outside of the building -- the
inverted 'v' sections of the
suspension trusses span the
structure at double-height levels
-- giving the building much of its
distinctive character.

The emphasis on flexibility is

apparent throughout the building.
All flooring is constructed from
lightweight movable panels made
from the same material as that
used for aircraft floors. The
panels, which may be covered
with
carpet
tiles
or
other
materials, can be lifted to reveal a
comprehensive network of power,
data, telecommunication and airconditioning systems. Computer
terminals or other such pieces of
equipment can be installed easily
with minimum disturbance.
Similarly, all internal walls are
made up of movable partitions so
that office layouts can be
changed
and
modified
as
required, without the need for any
structural alterations.
The building is divided into five
zones. These zones, and the
double-height
levels
which
separate them, form an integral
part of the concept of movement
around the building. Express lifts
travel from the plaza to the
double-height
areas,
while
movement between the floors in
each zone is by escalator.
Altogether there are 62 escalators
in the building.

Flexibility and efficiency

By the use of bridge engineering
techniques, and by locating all
services in prefabricated modules
hung on the east and west sides
of the building, Foster eliminated
the need for a central core,
creating large, unobstructed floor
areas that are the key to the
building's flexibility and efficiency.

DESIGN
The new building was designed by
the British architect Lord Norman
Foster and Civil & Structural
Engineers Ove Arup & Partners (J.
Roger
Preston
&
Partners

Engineering) and was constructed

by Wimpey
International. From
the concept to completion, it took
7 years (19781985). The building
is 180-metres high with 47
storeys and four basement levels.
The building has a module design
consisting of five steel modules
prefabricated in the UK by Scott
Lithgow
Shipbuilders near Glasgow,
and
shipped to Hong Kong. 30,000
tons of steel and 4,500 tons of
aluminium were used.
The original design was heavily
inspired by the Douglas Gilling
designed Qantas International
Centre
in Sydney
(currently
known as Suncorp Place).
The new Lobby and its 2-part
Asian Story Wall were designed by
Greg Pearce, of One Space
Limited. Pearce was also the
Principal Architect of the Hong
Kong Airport
Express
(MTR) station. Conceived as a
minimalist glass envelope, the
new lobby is designed to be
deferential to Foster's structure
and appears almost to be part of
the original.
The building is also one of the few
to not have elevators as the
primary carrier of building traffic.
Instead, elevators only stop every
few
floors,
and
floors
are
interconnected by escalators.

Characteristic
The main characteristic of HSBC
Hong Kong headquarters 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
to 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.
All
flooring
is
made
from
lightweight
movable
panels,
under which lies a comprehensive
network
of
power, telecommunication,
and
air-conditioning
systems.
This
design was to allow equipment
such as computer terminals to be
installed quickly and easily.
Because of the urgency to finish
the project, the construction of
the building relied heavily on offsite prefabrication; components
were manufactured all over the
world. For example, the structural
steel came from Britain; the glass,
aluminium cladding and flooring
came from the United States
while the service modules came
from Japan.
The inverted va segments of the
suspension trusses spanning the
construction
at
double-height
levels is the most obvious
characteristic of the building. It
consists of eight groups of four
aluminium-clad steel columns
which
ascend
from
the

foundations up through the core

structure, and five levels of
triangular
suspension
trusses
which are locked into these
masts.

Feng Shui
The early British settlers in Hong
Kong had an interest in Feng Shui;
thus, most of the earliest
buildings in Hong Kong, and many
buildings constructed thereafter,
were built with the philosophies of
Feng Shui in mind. The Chinese
believe that those who have a
direct view of a body of water
whether it is a river, a sea, or an
oceanare more likely to prosper
than those who do not (water is
strongly associated with wealth in
Feng Shui). The HSBC building has
a wide open area (the Statue
Square) in front of it, with no
other buildings blocking its view
of Victoria Harbour; thus, it is
considered to have "good feng
shui."
Even though the Hong Kong
Government
is
proposing
extending the existing coastline
further out into the harbour in its
latest land reclamation project, it
will still set aside space so that no
new developments will block the
HSBC Building's view of the
harbour.

FENGSUI ANALYSIS
Walk into the HSBC headquarters
in downtown Hong Kong, and a
pair of lion statues guard the
entrance. The lobby escalators
start from the northwest corner
and penetrate the heart of the
building. An open square in front

ensures unobstructed views of

Victoria Harbour. According to
feng shui masters, the lions guard
the wealth in the building, the
escalators create energy for
prosperitythe northwest corner
is supposed to be the provider of
the strongest energyand the
open space removes obstacles for
business opportunities. The HSBC
building itself is also considered
to be sitting on some of the most
auspicious land in the city.
Feng shui, the theory of tapping
into the energy of surroundings to
create prosperity, has long been
practiced
in
Hong
Kong.
Companies big and small consult
feng shui experts to determine
auspicious dates for deals and
launches
and
to
create
environments that will welcome
good fortune.

Feng Shui Business Buildings

Look around Hong Kong, and
youll notice most corporate
buildings integrate feng shui
elements one way or another,
says Jill Lander, a certified feng
shui consultant in Hong Kong. Ms.
Lander walks through some of the
most reputable buildings in the
business district for good and bad
feng shui elements.
Many corporations set aside a
portion of their annual budget for
feng
shui
consultation.
Sometimes decisions are small,
such as placing coins under the
carpet to attract prosperity; other
gestures are grand and can

dictate the architecture of an

entire building. The Repulse Bay,
a residential project on the south
side of Hong Kong Island, for
instance, was designed with a
large hole through its center.
Hong Kong folklore says dragons,
the bearers of good fortune, live
in the mountains north of the
building; the hole gives them
access to the water, south of
complex, and encourages them to
pass through.
Companies are tight-lipped about
their feng shui budgets. HSBC and
Bank
of
China,
whose
headquarters are often noted as
having
elaborate
feng
shui
elements, declined to comment.
But its a practice so valued by
Hong
Kongers
that
many
multinational corporations will
adhere to it to appease their
employees.
People joke about feng shui but
these companies take it seriously
because Hong Kong people take it
seriously, says Anna Williams,
business developer manager at
tda interiors, a global interior
design firm. Tdas client list
includes
mostly
Western
companies; about a quarter of
them ask the firm to integrate
feng shui in its designs, she says.
Now the Hong Kong government
is
under
fire
for
lack
of
transparency regarding funds set
aside for the use of feng shui
consultancy
in
public-works
projects.
The
government
approved funds to build a feng

shui bridge in the New Territories

but some Legislative Council
members are questioning the
legitimacy of the project and
demanding an audit of feng shui
compensation
given
by
the
government.
Feng shui was largely stamped
out in mainland China during the
Cultural Revolution but was held
onto by those who immigrated,
said Raymond Lo, a feng shui
consultant who has authored 15
books and almanacs on the topic.
Date of birth, orientation of a
space and placement of furniture
all play a role in feng shui. CEOs,
for instance, often sit in the
northwest corner because energy
there tends to be most yang,
described as alpha or active,
which suits the top dog, said Jill
Lander, feng shui consultant in
Hong Kong. Natural and low-level
lights, such as table lamps, are
believed to be able to improve
employees productivity. Feng
shui is also tailored to specific
people. For example, even though
running water is considered good
for creating energy, people strong
in that element typically artistic
types

should
consider
decorating their offices with
wooden furniture to balance the
water with earth elements, Ms.
Lander said.

According to Mr. Lo, Hong Kongs

position between the water and
mountains provides for good feng
shui. You can see why such a
small city has developed so well

to become a financial center of

the world, he said.

INTERIOR
Lion Statues
When HSBC decided to build its
third Headquarters at 1 Queen's
Road Central, opened in 1935, it
commissioned two bronze lions
from
Shanghai-based
British
sculptor W W Wagstaff (d 1977,
aged 82). This commission was
inspired by two earlier lions that
had
been
ordered
for
the
new Shanghai office opened in
1923. Cast by J W Singer & Sons
in the English town of Frome, to a
design by Henry Poole RA, these
lions had quickly become part of
the Shanghai scene, and passersby would affectionately stroke the
lions in the belief that power and
money would rub off on them.
They became known as Stephen
and Stitt: an in-joke. Stephen was
named for A G Stephen, formerly
Manager Shanghai, and in 1923
the Chief Manager of HSBC, and G
H Stitt, the then Manager
Shanghai. Stephen is depicted
roaring, Stitt quiescent, and again
insiders said that this represented
the characters of these two
famous bankers.
Wagstaff worked with "Shanghai
Arts and Crafts" foreman Chou Yin
Hsiang who in an interview with
John Loch of HSBC's house
magazine "Group News" in June
1977 [10] recalled that when he
first joined Arts and Crafts he
worked with Wagstaff for two
years to make the lions, without

having to learn a word of English:

Wagstaff spoke perfect Shanghai
dialect. Hunch-backed, Wagstaff
was nicknamed "Lao Doo Pei",
meaning "Old Hunchback". His
son, inevitably, was called "Sau
Doo Pei" - "Young Hunchback."
Wagstaff had two sons - Don,
killed in Naval service in the war,
and Alex, killed while interned in
Shanghai by the Japanese. Chou
Yin Hsiang himself came to Hong
Kong in 1935, and by 1977 was
the proprietor of Jeh Hsing Metal
Works - and still casting bronze
for HSBC.
Like the Shanghai lions, the Hong
Kong lions became objects of
veneration, and focii of the Bank's
perceived excellent feng shui.
Young couples still bring their
toddlers to stroke the paws and
noses of the statues hoping for
luck and prosperity.
When the 1935 building closed its
doors for the last time June 26,
1981 the Lions moved to the
annexe June 19, 1981 The
commencement demolishion July
6, 1981 by China Swiss Engineers.
The lions were temporarily moved
on 4 June 1982 to Statue Square,
opposite main entrance. As a
mark of the respect the lions were
held in, the move to Statue
Square, and the move back in
1985, were accompanied by the
Chairman Sir Michael Sandberg
and senior management of the
Bank and the placement of the
lions both temporarily and in their
current locations was made only
after extensive consultations with
feng shui practitioners.
Their 2-year sojourn in Statue
Square aside, the lions have only
left their positions as guardians of

the Des Voeux Road entrance of

the Bank once: they were
confiscated by the Japanese and
sent to Japan to be melted down.
Luckily the war ended before this
could happen, and the lions were
recognised by an American sailor
in a dockyard in Osaka in 1945.
They were returned a few months
later and restored to their original
positions in October 1946.

Shanghai Banking Museum

(Stitt), both in Lujiazui.

modelled
on
Shanghai
originals; sculpted by W W
Wagstaff, cast by Shanghai
Arts and Crafts.

The Hong Kong lions are also

called Stephen and Stitt, and the
Hong Kong Stephen has bullet or
shrapnel scars in its left hindquarters dating from the fighting
in the Battle of Hong Kong. When
this pair of lions was used as the
model for the pair commissioned
for the new UK Headquarters of
HSBC in 2002, Zambian-born New
Zealand
sculptor Mark
Kennedy was
asked
not
to
reproduce these "war wounds" in
the copies. They had to earn their
own battle-scars.
The following is a list of bronze
copies and re-casts of the HSBC
lions:

In China:

Shanghai
(original) (1923) - sculpted
by Henry Poole RA, cast by J
W Stinger & Sons. The
originals are held by the
Shanghai Historic Museum
(which currently has no
permanent home) and are
separately on display at the
Museum's display room
under the Oriental Pearl
Tower (Stephen) and the

Hong Kong (1935) -

Shanghai
(replicas) (c.1997) - copies
of
Shanghai
originals,
commissioned
by
the
government-owned Shangh
ai Pudong Development
Bank after it obtained the
former HSBC building.

Shanghai
(current) (2010) - copies
of Hong Kong lions.

In the United Kingdom

London (2001)

copies of Hong Kong lions;

cast
by
Bronze
Age
Foundry, Limehouse, at the
direction of Mark Kennedy.
[11]

Various other HSBC branches

throughout the world feature
small-scaled replicas of these
originals, with varying degrees of
faithfulness. Other HSBC branches
often feature guardian lions to
different designs, such as Chinese
guardian lions.

44 on Level 5
28 on Basement Level 1

Vault door and frame

SPESIFICATION
The building in figures

Height above Des

Road Central

Voeux

178.8 metres (586.6 feet)

Foundation depth
ground level

below

52 metres (170 feet)

Sunscoop

34 metres (111.5 feet)

Basement depth
18.8 metres (61.7 feet)

Air- conditioning seawater

intake system tunnel
below
ground level
75 metres (246.1 feet)

Building levels
52 levels - 47 above ground, four
below ground and the Plaza at
ground level

Gross area
99,171 m2 (1,067,467 ft2)

Usable area
70,398 m2 (757,757 ft2)

Floor areas
Largest
3,215 m2 (34,607 ft2) gross
2,656 m2 (28,590 ft2) net
Smallest
976 m2 (10,505 ft2) gross
687 m2 (7,395 ft2) net
Public plaza
3,514 m2 (37,826 ft2)
Main banking halls
2,178 m2 (23,445 ft2)

Teller positions
44 on Level 3

50 tonnes - Basement Level 1

Atrium (height from plaza)

Exterior - Level 12
480 computer-controlled glass
mirrors
Weight - 32 tonnes
Interior reflector
225 aluminium mirrors

Number
of
staff
accommodated
5,000

Internal transport
Lifts
23 passenger and five goods
Escalators
62 - including the longest freely
supported escalators in the world
running from the Plaza to Level 3
(25 metres, 82.5 feet)

Structural steel
27,000 tonnes

Overall
steel
reinforcement)

(including

30,000 tonnes

Aluminium
Cladding
3,500 tonnes
93,000 m2 (1,000,000 ft2)
Raised floor
1,000 tonnes

Concrete
35,000 m3 (1,236,013 ft3)

Glass

32,000 m2 (344,444 ft2)

Modules
139

Electrical
communication cabling

EKSTERIOR

and

Over 3,600 km (11,880,000 ft)

Electrical capacity
19,500 kVA

Stand-by generators
6 megawatts

Air-conditioning capacity
12,500 kilowatts

Construction
Began
Basements - November 1981
Structural steel - January 1983
Completed
November 1985
Phased occupation
From July 1985

Costs
HKD5,227 million

Project consultants
Architects
Foster Associates Hong Kong
Management contracto
John Lok/Wimpey Joint Venture
Structural engineers
Ove Arup & Partners
Services engineers
J Roger Preston & Partners
Quantity surveyors
Levett & Bailey in association
with Northcroft,
Neighbour & Nicholson

The building at night

to the exterior lighting of the

HSBC
Bank
Headquarters.
However, in 2003, the building
became part of the Hong Kong
Tourism Board's Symphony of
Lights.
You will recognize the building
right away by its asymetric
crosbar pattern on the outside. If
you have a chance, drop in to
take a look, the interior is quite
striking with its wide open atrium
and plenty of plants and greenery
cascading from the different floors
as if you were in the middle of a
park. In fact, natural sunlight is
the major source of lighting for
the building.

INTERIOR
Lion Statues

When HSBC decided to build its

third Headquarters at 1 Queen's
Road Central, opened in 1935, it
commissioned two bronze lions
from
Shanghai-based
British
sculptor W W Wagstaff (d 1977,
aged 82). This commission was
inspired by two earlier lions that
had
been
ordered
for
the
new Shanghai office opened in
1923. Cast by J W Singer & Sons
in the English town of Frome, to a
design by Henry Poole RA, these
lions had quickly become part of
the Shanghai scene, and passersby would affectionately stroke the
lions in the belief that power and
money would rub off on them.
They became known as Stephen
and Stitt: an in-joke. Stephen was
named for A G Stephen, formerly
Manager Shanghai, and in 1923
the Chief Manager of HSBC, and G
H Stitt, the then Manager
Shanghai. Stephen is depicted
roaring, Stitt quiescent, and again
insiders said that this represented
the characters of these two
famous bankers.
Wagstaff worked with "Shanghai
Arts and Crafts" foreman Chou Yin
Hsiang who in an interview with
John Loch of HSBC's house
magazine "Group News" in June
1977 [10] recalled that when he
first joined Arts and Crafts he
worked with Wagstaff for two
years to make the lions, without
having to learn a word of English:
Wagstaff spoke perfect Shanghai
dialect. Hunch-backed, Wagstaff
was nicknamed "Lao Doo Pei",
meaning "Old Hunchback". His
son, inevitably, was called "Sau
Doo Pei" - "Young Hunchback."
Wagstaff had two sons - Don,
killed in Naval service in the war,
and Alex, killed while interned in

Shanghai by the Japanese. Chou

Yin Hsiang himself came to Hong
Kong in 1935, and by 1977 was
the proprietor of Jeh Hsing Metal
Works - and still casting bronze
for HSBC.
Like the Shanghai lions, the Hong
Kong lions became objects of
veneration, and focii of the Bank's
perceived excellent feng shui.
Young couples still bring their
toddlers to stroke the paws and
noses of the statues hoping for
luck and prosperity.
When the 1935 building closed its
doors for the last time June 26,
1981 the Lions moved to the
annexe June 19, 1981 The
commencement demolishion July
6, 1981 by China Swiss Engineers.
The lions were temporarily moved
on 4 June 1982 to Statue Square,
opposite main entrance. As a
mark of the respect the lions were
held in, the move to Statue
Square, and the move back in
1985, were accompanied by the
Chairman Sir Michael Sandberg
and senior management of the
Bank and the placement of the
lions both temporarily and in their
current locations was made only
after extensive consultations with
feng shui practitioners.
Their 2-year sojourn in Statue
Square aside, the lions have only
left their positions as guardians of
the Des Voeux Road entrance of
the Bank once: they were
confiscated by the Japanese and
sent to Japan to be melted down.
Luckily the war ended before this
could happen, and the lions were
recognised by an American sailor
in a dockyard in Osaka in 1945.
They were returned a few months

later and restored to their original

positions in October 1946.
The Hong Kong lions are also
called Stephen and Stitt, and the
Hong Kong Stephen has bullet or
shrapnel scars in its left hindquarters dating from the fighting
in the Battle of Hong Kong. When
this pair of lions was used as the
model for the pair commissioned
for the new UK Headquarters of
HSBC in 2002, Zambian-born New
Zealand
sculptor Mark
Kennedy was
asked
not
to
reproduce these "war wounds" in
the copies. They had to earn their
own battle-scars.
The following is a list of bronze
copies and re-casts of the HSBC
lions:

In China:

Shanghai
(original) (1923) - sculpted
by Henry Poole RA, cast by J
W Stinger & Sons. The
originals are held by the
Shanghai Historic Museum
(which currently has no
permanent home) and are
separately on display at the
Museum's display room
under the Oriental Pearl
Tower (Stephen) and the
Shanghai Banking Museum
(Stitt), both in Lujiazui.

Hong Kong (1935) modelled

on
Shanghai
originals; sculpted by W W

lighting,
laser,
music,
and

Wagstaff, cast by Shanghai

Arts and Crafts.

Shanghai
(replicas) (c.1997) - copies
of
Shanghai
originals,
commissioned
by
the
government-owned Shangh
ai Pudong Development
Bank after it obtained the
former HSBC building.

Shanghai
(current) (2010) - copies
of Hong Kong lions.

In the United Kingdom

London (2001)

copies of Hong Kong lions;

cast
by
Bronze
Age
Foundry, Limehouse, at the
direction of Mark Kennedy.
[11]

Various other HSBC branches

throughout the world feature
small-scaled replicas of these
originals, with varying degrees of
faithfulness. Other HSBC branches
often feature guardian lions to
different designs, such as Chinese
guardian lions.

occasionally special pyrotechnics

effects during festivals, in order to
promote tourism in Hong Kong.
The show is based on the
illumination of key buildings on
the Hong Kong Island side, and is
best
viewed
from
the Kowloon side
across
the Victoria Harbour. The HSBC
Hong Kong headquarters building
is one of the participating
buildings in the show. The
building has been installed with
716 intelligent lighting units,
including 450 Martin Professional
Cyclo
03
colour
changing
fluorescent fixtures in the glass
stairwells,
Martin
Professional
Exterior 600's and Exterior 200
fixtures on five levels, 8 search
lights, and over one kilometre
of LEDlighting around the top.
Completed
by
mid-December
2003, the cost of installation is
estimated to be HK$5.5 million.
Intelligent lighting is distributed
across six sections of the building:

Lightning Scheme
In 2003, the Hong Kong Tourism
Board developed
a
harbour
lighting plan called "A Symphony
of
Lights",[12] a
large-scale
multimedia
show
featuring

1. Vertical Ladder Trusses

2. Exoskeleton: Inner + Outer
3. Refuge Floors
4. Northwest Stairwell

5. Eastern Stairwells
6. Roof Building Maintenance
Units
HSBC has always aimed to adopt
a new lighting scheme because
Foster did not pay much attention
to the illumination of the building
at nighttime.

CLOSING
All in all, the large art installations
complement and integrate well
with the architecture and the
surroundings environment. While
Foster's
design
was
certainly
magnificent, not much thought was
initially given
The building at night

to the exterior lighting of the HSBC

Bank Headquarters. However, in

2003, the building became part of

the Hong Kong Tourism Board's
Symphony of Lights.
According
to
records,
716
intelligent lighting units - including
450 colour changing fluorescent
fixtures in the glass stairwells, 200
fixtures on five levels, 8 search
lights, and over one kilometer of
LED lighting around the top of the
building were installed for this
awesome light show.