| The Center | |
|---|---|
中環中心 | |
 The Center in 2018 | |
 Interactive map of The Center | |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 99Queen's Road Central,Central,Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22°17′05″N114°09′16″E / 22.28472°N 114.15444°E /22.28472; 114.15444 |
| Construction started | 1995; 30 years ago (1995) |
| Completed | 1998; 27 years ago (1998) |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 346 m (1,135 ft)[1] |
| Roof | 292 m (958 ft) |
| Top floor | 275 m (902 ft)[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 73[1] |
| Floor area | 130,032 m2 (1,399,653 sq ft)[1] |
| Lifts/elevators | 41, made byToshiba[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers (HK) Ltd.[1] |
| Developer | |
| Structural engineer | MaunsellAECOM Group[1] |
| Main contractor | Paul Y – ITC Construction[1] |
| References | |
| [1][2] | |
The Center (Cantonese Yale:Jūngwàahn Jūngsām) is the fifth tallestskyscraper inHong Kong,[1] afterInternational Commerce Centre,Two International Finance Centre (88 storeys),Central Plaza andBank of China Tower. With a height of 346 m (1,135 ft), it comprises 73 storeys. The Center is one of the few skyscrapers in Hong Kong that is entirely steel-structured with no reinforced concrete core and is one of the tallest steel buildings in the world. It is located on 99Queen's Road Central in theCentral, roughly halfway between theMTRIsland line'sSheung Wan andCentral stations.
The English name of the building uses the American spelling "The Center", despite the vast majority of similarly named buildings in Hong Kong using the spelling "Centre" as a result ofHong Kong English's British origins. The direct translation of the Chinese name of the building is "Central Centre" or the "centre of Central", though the building is situated near the boundary ofCentral andSheung Wan (Wing Kut Street).
The Center was designed by Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers.[1]
The footprint of The Center is irregular because surrounding lots inQueen's Road Central,Jubilee Street,Des Voeux Road Central andGilman's Bazaar were already redeveloped. The construction of the building involved theLand Development Corporation since it required demolishing many old buildings and lanes. Various lanes and streets includingGilman Street,Wing On Street,Tung Man Street,Hing Lung Street, andTit Hong Lane were shortened. Many cloth shops located on Wing On Street, also known asCloth Alley, were moved to theWestern Market whileEu Yan Sang, a traditional Chinese medicine shop, was moved near the Stag Building. Several historical structures were demolished for the project.
The Center is notable for its arrangement of hundreds ofneon lights arranged as bars in increasing frequency towards the top of the building, which slowly scroll through the colours of thespectrum at night. During theChristmas season, the building's neon arrangement follows a festive motif and resembles aChristmas tree.
The building uses asky lobby system, where users wishing to reach the upper floors of the building must make several lifts changes. One set of lifts leads from the ground floor to the 6th floor; a second set of lifts provides access from the 6th floor to the 42nd floor, and a final set provides access to the floors above.
In November 2017, it was announced that The center was sold for HK$40.2 billion, making it the world's most-expensive real estate transaction for a single building. It was reported thatLi Ka-shing'sCK Asset Holdings sold the building to aBVI company called CHMT Peaceful Development Asia Limited, which is thought to be led by state-ownedChina National Petroleum Corporation.[3][4]
Media related toThe Center, Hong Kong at Wikimedia Commons