| Exchange Square | |
| Native Name: | Chinese: 交易廣場 |
| Status: | Complete |
| Location: | 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong |
| Coordinates: | 22.2839°N 114.1583°W |
| Architect: | Palmer & Turner |
| Owner: | Hongkong Land |
| Cost: | Whole project: |
| Floor Area: | Total: 1306800NaN0 |
| References: | [1] |
| Building Type: | Office |
| Roof: | 188m (617feet) |
| Main Contractor: | Gammon Construction |
| Developer: | Hong Kong Land |
Exchange Square is a building complex located in Central, Hong Kong. It houses offices and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It is served by the Central and Hong Kong stations of the MTR metro system.
Most part of the Exchange Square is owned by Hong Kong Land, with the remaining portion owned by the Government. The building has three blocks, namely, One Exchange Square, Two Exchange Square and Three Exchange Square. A shopping block known as The Forum was redeveloped as an office building in 2011–14.
The ground level houses a large bus terminus, Central (Exchange Square) Bus Terminus.
The property is the home of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since the 1980s. It also houses many international banking and law firms including Bank of Montreal, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Lloyd George Management, DLA Piper, Ropes & Gray, RPC, Latham & Watkins and Allen & Overy. Other major tenants include Sixth Street Partners, Aberdeen Standard Investment, Angelo Gordon, Bluepool Capital, China Merchants Securities, CSOP, CQS, Evercore, Fanda Partners, Harvest Fund, Hillhouse Capital, Hopu Investment and Janchor Partners. Exchange Square is also home to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, the American Club of Hong Kong, and the consulates in Hong Kong of Argentina, Canada, and Japan.
Hong Kong Land tendered the Government $4.76 billion for the plot in February 1982, when the market was at a record high. Prices subsequently dropped, necessitating its debt to be restructured. In February 1983, HKL obtained an eight-year loan of $4 billion, a record. In December 1983, it announced that the plot was to be mortgaged to secure a $2.5 billion loan facility.[2] The second instalment of $2 billion on the plot was due in the financial year 1984/85.[3]
Development cost HK$750m, 32-storey 322000-2NaN-2 office tower, 32000-2NaN-2 mall, substructure contractor Gammon Hong Kong.[4]
The Forum was a shopping complex at the podium level. From 2011 to 2014, it was redeveloped into a seven-storey office building with a floor area of 4,460 sq m. It is wholly occupied by Standard Chartered Bank. The plaza outside the forum includes a landscaped roof garden, stepped terraces and fountains, and a collection of sculptures by artists such as Henry Moore, Ju Ming and Dame Elizabeth Frank.[5] [6]