International Commerce Centre Explained

International Commerce Centre (ICC)
Native Name:Chinese: 環球貿易廣場
Location:1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Building Type:Commercial offices
Floor Count:108 above ground
Elevator Count:84[1]
Architect:Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Structural Engineer:Arup
Main Contractor:China State Construction Engineering Corporation; Sanfield Building Contractors Limited
Developer:Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
Management:Harbour Vantage

The International Commerce Centre is a 108-story, supertall skyscraper in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, resting atop the Elements mall and near two MTR Stations (Kowloon and Austin Station). It is the world's 13th tallest building by height, 10th tallest by number of floors, and Hong Kong's tallest, as well as the only building in the city with over 100 storeys. The official height is, which includes the tall parapets on the roof.[2] [3] It was the world's 4th tallest building and 3rd in Asia when completed in 2010.

The south side of the building faces Victoria Harbour.

History

The height had been scaled back from earlier plans due to regulations that did not allow buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains. The original proposal for this building was called Kowloon Station Phase 7 and it was designed to be 574m (1,883feet) tall with 102 floors.[4]

The tower was designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in association with Wong & Ouyang. It was built by Sanfield, the construction subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai.[5]

Construction work was temporarily halted[6] on 13 September 2009, due to a lift shaft accident that killed six workers.[7]

Floor count

The top floor is "118". However, levels with "4" in the last digit were skipped because it sounds like "death" in Cantonese and Mandarin (tetraphobia), it also makes levels "higher", similar to Western superstition about the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia). e.g. the 68-storey building, The Cullinan, is declared 93 storeys.

Except for level 3, 103 and 113, levels with "3" in the last digit were also skipped, level 5, 6, 7, 26, 28, 29 and 105 were skipped as well for unknown reason. They are currently replaced by levels with "M" & "R", which stand for "Mechanical" and "Refuge". Although the levels missing, it still shows on the elevator's screen of Sky100 and Skydining 101 while going up and down.

28 floors were skipped: 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 43, 44, 53, 54, 63, 64, 73, 74, 83, 84, 93, 94, 104, 105, 114

18 floors were added: UG, M1-1, M1-2, M1-3, M1-5, R1, R2, M2-1, M2-2, R3, M3-1, M3-2, R4, M4-1, M4-2, M4-3, M5, M6

LevelTower levelTypeElevation
118103The Ritz-Carlton (swimming pool, fitness centre & Ozone bar)476 m (1,562 ft)
M6102Mechanical
117101The Ritz-Carlton (presidential suite)
116100The Ritz-Carlton (spa & club lounge)465 m (1,526 ft)
11599The Ritz-Carlton (guest rooms)
11398
11297
11196
11095
10994
10893
10792
10691
M590Mechanical
10389The Ritz-Carlton (reception lobby, Café 103 & buffet)425 m (1,394 ft)
10288The Ritz-Carlton (dining)
M4-387The Ritz-Carlton (staff only) / Mechanical
M4-286Mechanical
M4-185
R484Refuge
10183Skydining 101399 m (1,309 ft)
10082Sky100 & Café 100393 m (1,289 ft)
9981UBS
9880
9779
9678Office
9577UBS
9276
9175
9074
8973
8872
8771
8670IWG plc
8569
8268
8167Office
8066
7965
7864
M3-263Mechanical
M3-162
R361Refuge
7760Office
7659
7558
7257
7156
7055
6954
6853
6752
6651
6550
6249
6148Deutsche Bank
6047
5946
5845
5744
5643
5542
5241
5140
5039Office
4938Sky lobby
4837
M2-236Mechanical
M2-135
R234Refuge
4733Morgan Stanley
4632
4531
4230
4129
4028
3927
3826
3725
3624
3523
3222
3121
3020
2719Office
2518
2217
2116
2015SPACE (fitness centre)
1914Office
1813
1712
1611
1510
129
R18Refuge
M1-57Mechanical
M1-36
M1-25
M1-14
113Office
102
91The Ritz-Carlton (entrance), office lobby & podium floor
8G
⬆ ICC ⬆
Elements
34The Ritz-Carlton (ballroom) & lobbies (office & Skydining 101)25 m (82 ft)
23Sky100 (tickets & entrance) & skyway to WKCD
12rowspan=2-
UG1
GGEntrance (Nga Cheung Road), bus stop & loading dock
B1B1Carpark
B2B2
B3B3
B4B4

Sky100 & Skydining 101

A 67-second journey takes guests to the 360-degree, 393-metre high indoor observation deck Sky100 on level 100 from level 2. It is the 2nd highest observation deck in Hong Kong, after outdoor Sky Terrace 428 on The Peak Tower.[8] [9] It opens from 1000 to 2030 daily (last entry at 2000), but depends on the weather and sometimes for private only,[10] the admission fee of aged 12 to 64 is $198. The Hong Kong action film, Cold War, which stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai as the main character, was also filmed here in 2011.

Skydining 101 (Inakaya, Odyssée, The Sky Boss and The Kitin) sits on level 101 at 399 m (1,309 ft).

The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

See main article: The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

The ICC Light and Music Show

The LED light show set a new Guinness World Records for the “largest light and sound show on a single building” using a total of 50,000 m2 on two facades of the ICC.[11] The Show is designed by the lighting design supervisor, Hirohito Totsune,[12] who already designed the lighting system of the Tokyo Skytree.[13] It creates a theme and story line by using lights and music elements, similar to "A Symphony of Lights" in Victoria Harbour.

Transport (daily)

All-day:
Mass Transit Railway (MTR): Kowloon station / Austin station / High-speed rail Hong Kong West Kowloon station

Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB): 8, 11, 95, 203E, 215X, 260X, 269B, 280X, 281A, 296D,,,, 960, 961, 968, 978, W2

City Bus (CTB): 50,,,, 930, 930X, 952, 962X, 969, 970, 970X, 971, 973, A10, A11, A12, A22, E11 (E11A), E23 (E23A)

(Routes refers to "jointly operated"!)

Public light bus (minibus): 26, 74, 74S, 77M, CX1

Overnight:
City Bus (CTB): N50, N930, N952, N962, N969, NA11, NA12

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: International Commerce Centre .
  2. Web site: International Commerce Centre – the Skyscraper Center .
  3. Web site: International Commerce Center, Hong Kong . 2024-01-26 . skyscraperpage.com.
  4. Web site: International Commerce Center. 5 May 2011. Leslie E. Robertson Associates. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20041214170336/http://www.lera.com/projects/hir/kowloonstation.htm. 14 December 2004. dmy-all.
  5. Web site: Stephens . Suzanne . International Commerce Centre . Architectural Record . 16 May 2012 .
  6. Web site: INews.com. 地盤平台墜樓6工人全死. 13 September 2009.
  7. Web site: Elevator Shaft Accident Kills Six Workers in Hong Kong Tower. 13 September 2009. 5 May 2011. Kyunghee Park. Bloomberg.com.
  8. Web site: Hong Kong Tourist Attractions | sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck .
  9. Web site: Sky Terrace 428 THE PEAK HONG KONG . 2024-10-30 . www.thepeak.com.hk.
  10. Web site: 開放時間 香港必去最熱旅遊景點 天際100 香港觀景台 . 2024-10-30 . sky100.com.hk . zh-hant.
  11. Web site: ICC Light and Music Show (Hong Kong) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go .
  12. Web site: Hirohito Totsune lights up the ICC . 19 April 2013 .
  13. Web site: TOKYO SKYTREE® (Japan) | Case Study | lighting | Electric Works | Business | Panasonic Global .