Central Plaza
Central Plaza, a 374-meter (1,227 foot) tall, 78-story skyscraper, is the second tallest building in Hong Kong. Only the 415-meter (1,362 foot) Two International Financial Centre is taller. The tower is on Hong Kong Island in the district of Wan Chai across from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Central Plaza was Asia's tallest building from 1992 to 1996 until it was overtaken by Shun Hing Square located in Shenzhen, China. The tower was also the world's tallest reinforced concrete building until the CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou was built.
The skyscraper's floor plan is triangular. The tower also features a four bar neon clock that displays the time by showing different colors every fifteen minutes. Central Plaza is also has the highest church in the world. The Community Church of Hong Kong is on the top story of the building.
The design of the building was by the architectural firm of Ng Chun Man and Associates Architects & Engineers. The development was a joint venture between Sino Group, Sun Hung Kai Properties and Royoden Group. Structural engineering was provided by Ove Arup & Partners and the main contractor was Manloze Ltd.
Central Plaza has two main components: a 368-meter (1,207 foot) office tower and 30.5 meter (100 foot) high attached podium block. The tower itself has three different sections: a 30.5 meter (772 foot) tall tall which contains 57 floors of office space, 5 floors of mechanical plants, a sky lobby; and the tower's top which consists of a 102 meter (335 foot) tall tower mast and six stories of mechanical plant.
The public area and sitting area on the ground level form a landscaped garden with trees, stone paving and a fountain. Level one contains three walking bridges that link with the Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mass Transit Railway and the China Resource Building.
The triangular shape of the building was designed that way because it provides twenty percent more of the office areas to have harbor views. Seventy percent of the offices enjoy a harbor view. In order to get an ocean view the building had to be very tall so the views would not be obstructed by the nearby high-rise buildings such as the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
High wind loading and typhoons also were concerns that influenced the design of the building. The structure needed to be able to resist high wind loads. Comprehensive wind tunnel studies were conducted. A reinforced concrete rather than steel structure was adopted which saved money on the project.
Neon tubes situated at the top of the tower provide multi colored lights which displays the time by changing colors through the use of four sets of neon tubes. Every hour is display with a different color. One of the four neon tubes changes color every fifteen minutes, with the time being set by signals from the Hong Kong Observatory.
The building was constructed on 7,230 square meters of land, with the land costing three times the cost of the construction. Central Plaza provides enough office space for 8,000 people.