Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong
Published 7 January 2020
The gist: The Bank of China Tower’s form and structure work together. Four shafts rise from a shared base and reduce in mass as the building climbs, organising its distinctive silhouette while limiting the need for internal supports. Its mirrored surfaces add another layer, taking on the changing colour of the surrounding sky.
Location: 1 Garden Road Central, Hong Kong
Year built: May 17 1990
Architect: I.M.Pei
The Bank of China Tower, or the BOC Tower as it is commonly known, is a monumental skyscraper in Hong Kong’s central business district. The tower is home to the Bank of China’s headquarters (Hong Kong branch), and is one of the region’s most well-known landmarks.
About IM Pei
Designed by Chinese-American architects IM Pei & Partners, and completed in 1990, the building is Hong Kong’s fourth-tallest skyscraper. The imposing structure was also the first supertall skyscraper to be built outside the United States, and the first to break the 1,000 ft (305 m) mark. The building’s four shafts provide function as well as beauty, minimising the need for internal supports, and requiring less steel than a typical building of its size.
In designing the Bank of China Tower, IM Pei considered the aspirations of the Chinese people as well as their goodwill toward the British Colony. Emerging from a 52-metre cube and erupting into four vertical shafts, the building gradually diminishes into the sky, as its mass reduces quadrant by quadrant. The tower’s mirrored facade reflects the changing tones and colours of the surrounding skies.
