HSBC Headquarters Building

Quick Facts:
Location:
Statue
Hong Kong

1 Queens Road Central,

Square, Central,

Architect:

Foster and Partners

Engineer:

Ove Arup & Partners

Height to Roof:
Floor Count:
basements

178.8m
47 storeys + 4

Building Foot Print:

Gross Floor Area:

99,000m2

Number of Lifts: 28
Concept:
Pre-fabricated, Modular, and Highly
Adaptable Highrise
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 banks commitment to Hong Kong even after its eventual hand-over to China at the end of its lease to
the UK.
Foster & Partners 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 faade 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 floors periphery. This allowed the architect to
achieve the desired floor area while also providing great flexibility for planning interior spaces and building

services.

2nd to 29th Floor

Floor Plans: Ground Floor

37th to 44th Floor
Notable Elements:
Column Free Floor Area
Clear

&

Unobstructed

Circulation
Modular Services in the
Periphery
Dark

Green:

Plant Rooms
Violet:
Blue:

WC
Escalator

Light Blue: Lifts

30th to 36th Floor

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

Figure 1 - North Profile

Figure 2 - West Profile showing stepped

profile more prominently

plan.

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

Cladding System Diagram

Close Up View of Facade

Curtain Wall Detail

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
Circulation Configuration

Vertical

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-mainbuilding.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-normanfoster-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