HSBC Headquarters Building

Quick Facts:

Location: 1 Queen’s Road Central, Statue Square, Central, Hong Kong

Architect: Foster and Partners

Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners

Height to Roof: 178.8m

Floor Count: 47 storeys + 4 basements

Building Foot Print: A

Gross Floor Area: 99,000m2

Number of Lifts: 28

Concept:

Pre-fabricated, Modular, and Highly Adaptable High-rise

Inspirations/Precedents:

Bridge and Aircraft Architecture

Suncorp Place - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Introduction

The subject of this case study is the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Headquarters Building in Central

District, Hong Kong. It is forty-seven (47) storeys tall with four (4) basement levels. It boasts a roof height of 178.8m. It was

designed by Foster & Associates.

The design brief seeks to achieve three objectives – (1) flexible office spaces in excess of 93000m2, (2) meet a strict

deadline, ergo relatively quick construction after the demolition of the previous building on site, and (3) “the best bank building in

the world” – a statement of confidence of the bank’s commitment to Hong Kong even after its eventual hand-over to China at the

end of its lease to the UK.

Foster & Partner’s concept to achieve this was of a “High-tech Structural Expressionist Building.” The concept focused on

pre-fabricated typologies in order to achieve flexibility and ease of construction. The need to build downwards and upwards

simultaneously resulted in a suspension structure giving the building an appearance more similar to a bridge than an office building.

Feng-shui was influential in the design of the building, responsible for the façade orientation, the lobby and escalator configurations,

the structural framing, and the famous two lions at the lobby to invite good luck and the two “concrete cannons” at the roof to

negate bad Feng-shui caused by the nearby Bank of China building.

Planning and Shape of Plan

The plan is an irregular rectangular shape with an atrium at the center. The structural system used eliminated the use of interior

columns creating a huge uninterrupted floor space. A central building core was also ignored in favor of services relegated to the

floor’s periphery. This allowed the architect to achieve the desired floor area while also providing great flexibility for planning

interior spaces and building services.

Floor Plans: Ground Floor 2nd to 29th Floor 30th to 36th Floor 37th to 44th Floor

Notable Elements:

Column Free Floor Area

Clear & Unobstructed Circulation

Modular Services in the Periphery

Dark Green: Plant Rooms

Violet: WC

Blue: Escalator

Light Blue: Lifts

Light Green: Fire Stairs

Feng-shui Influences

Awkwardly Angled Escalators thought to

Bring good fortune in the building

3D Form

Three elements make up the prominent form of the HSBC Headquarters Building.

First, the stepped profile - three-tower configuration of the building as a result of the modular floor plan.

This stepped profile was the result of the building zone layout designed by the architect.

Figure 1 - North Profile Figure 2 - West Profile showing stepped profile more prominently

Second, the prominent Exoskeleton Truss Frame or the Chevron design consisting of the vierendreel mast and the inverted

chevrons. This serves as the main structural system of the building.

Last, the extensive glass curtain wall with sun-shading systems that intend to increase transparency in the building and reduce

reliance on artificial lighting.

The influences that led to the adoption of these features are as follows:

Modular design which was a result of the hectic delivery schedule

High-tech Style of the Architect

The desire for flexibility

Building Skin

Although the design of the building is

simple in terms of the concept, plan, and section,

the completed form results in complex 3D

relationships that increase the difficulty of

cladding.

The solution for this are highly detailed mix

of glass, aluminium composite, and steel cladding.

Cladding System DiagramCladding System Mock-up

Curtain Wall Detail Close Up View of Facade

Building Services

Vertical Circulation

The main mode of vertical circulation employed in the building is the

escalator having 62 of them in the whole building. They are

positioned near the center of the building.

Elevators play a supporting role in vertical circulation. They are

located in the east side of the building as part of the split core type

employed in the design.

Elevator Configuration Vertical Circulation Configuration

Service Modules

As part of the modular design, service modules containing mechanical equipment as well as the auxiliary spaces required by the

building such as bathrooms have been employed. This is an example of plug-in architecture. They are found on the east and west

sides of the building as part of the split core.

1Service Modules are in dark green+violet

Sources:

http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/hongkong-and-shanghai-bank-headquarters/

http://www.about.hsbc.com.hk/hsbc-in-hong-kong

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/see-do/culture-heritage/modern-architecture/hsbc-main-building.jsp

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Hongkong_and_Shanghai_Ban.html

http://www.detail-online.com/article/hongkong-and-shanghai-bank-ndash-10-questions-to-lord-norman-foster-14368/

http://architecturecasestudy.blogspot.com/

http://issuu.com/ell.n/docs/norman_foster-_hong_kong_bank

http://faculty.arch.tamu.edu/media/cms_page_media/4433/hongkongBank.pdf