Central Plaza, a 78-story, 374-meter (1227 foot) tall skyscraper, is Hong Kong’s second tallest building. The only building taller is the Two International Finance Centre at 415 meters (1362 feet). Central Plaza is an office building located along the Wanchai waterfront on Hong Kong Island across from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Central Plaza was a joint development project constructed by Sun Hung Kai Properties and The Sino Group. Construction began on the building in 1989 and it was completed in 1992. From 1992 to 1996 the Central Plaza was Asia’s tallest building.
The design of Central Plaza was by the architectural firm of Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers. The design of the building is a triangular shape that provides more of the office areas a view of the harbor than would be with a rectangular or square shaped building. This design also provides for more efficient utilization of floor area. The design and construction of the building also needed to take into account that Kong Hong is located in a typhoon area and that the structure would need to withstand high winds. The building’s beams and floor slabs are horizontally separated from the core walls to reduce wind shear reversals. Reinforced concrete was used instead of the customary steel structure for high rises. This helped to save on construction costs. Central Plaza is one of the world’s tallest reinforced concrete buildings.
The building consists of two major parts: the office tower and a 305-meter (100 foot) tall podium block that is attached to the office tower. The tower has three sections. There is the 30.5-meter (100 foot) tower base that forms the main entrance and public spaces, a 235-meter (772 foot) tower body consisting of 57 office floors and sky lobby, and the tower top with a 102-meter (335 foot) high tower mast. At the top of the tower is a neon clock that displays the time by showing a different color every 15 minutes and synchronized with the Hong Kong Observatory Clock. The mast also contains Hong Kong City Church, which is the tallest church in the world.
On the ground level is a public area with landscaped garden. The first level of the podium is a public thoroughfare with three walking bridges that link to the Convention and Exhibition Center, Mass Transit Railway and China Resource Building.
The Central Plaza provides office space for some of the leading multinational corporations and organizations in the world, including Nvidia on the 10th floor, Exxon Mobil (23rd floor), CB Richard Ellis (30th floor and 34th floor), Chevron (41st floor and 42nd floor), Siemens (58th floor), AFP (62nd floor), Royal Saudi Consulate Of Hong Kong (64th floor), Sun Microsystems (66th floor) and the Hong Kong City Church on the 75th floor at the apex of the building. The working population of Central Plaza is around 6,000 people. The Central Plaza also features an Executive Club that includes such fitness and health facilities as a swimming pool, gymnasium, jacuzzi, steam and sauna rooms.