List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong
has over 9,000 high-rise buildings, of which over 4,000 are skyscrapers standing taller than with 454 buildings over. The tallest building in Hong Kong is the 108-storey International Commerce Centre, which stands and is the 12th tallest building in the world. The total built-up height of these skyscrapers is approximately, making Hong Kong the world's tallest urban agglomeration. Furthermore, reflective of the city's high population densities, Hong Kong has more inhabitants living at the 15th floor or higher, and more buildings of at least and height, than any other city in the world.
Most of Hong Kong's buildings are concentrated on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Towns of the New Territories, such as Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. Additional high-rises are located along Hong Kong Island's southern shoreline and areas near the stations of the Mass Transit Railway.
The skyline of Hong Kong Island is famed for its unique arrangement, with surrounding mountains and Victoria Harbour complementing the rows of skyscrapers along the shore. Each evening, 44 buildings on the shores of Victoria Harbour participate in A Symphony of Lights, a synchronised show named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest permanent light fixture in the world.
History
The first high-rise in Hong Kong was the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, completed in 1935. The building stood tall with 13 floors and was in use for five decades before being demolished for the construction of the HSBC Main Building. High-rise construction was limited in the early part of the 20th century. However, beginning in the 1970s, Hong Kong experienced a general trend of high-rise building construction that has continued to the present. This trend is in large part a result of the city's rugged, mountainous terrain and lack of flat land. The city entered a construction boom in 1980, which lasted roughly until 1993. Among the buildings built during these years are Hopewell Centre, Bank of China Tower, and Central Plaza, three of the territory's tallest buildings upon their respective dates of completion.Beginning in 1998, Hong Kong entered a second, much larger building boom that lasted until the early 2010s. The second boom saw the completion of the International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre, Nina Tower I, and One Island East. At the height of the construction boom in 2003, 56 skyscrapers over 150 m were completed throughout the city. The proliferation of multi-tower, high-rise building complexes, such as public housing estates and transit-oriented developments near MTR stations, greatly increased the number of skyscrapers.
Unlike previous building trends of the 1980s and early 1990s, many high-rise buildings of the second boom are for residential use due to a surge in demand for luxury housing properties in Hong Kong. In addition, the closure of the Kai Tak Airport and the relaxation of height restrictions on the Kowloon Peninsula allowed many tall skyscrapers to rise in Kowloon, such as Sorrento, Langham Place Office Tower, and The Cullinan, all of which exceed. Skyscrapers also grew in the New Territories, such as the developments of Metro Town and LOHAS Park in Tseung Kwan O. However, proposals for large scale building projects slowed down considerably over the 2000s due to a heightened community awareness of skyscraper's effect on urban ecology, such as changes to air circulation and air pollution.
Notable buildings
- International Commerce Centre, located at 1 Austin Road, West Kowloon. It is owned and jointly developed by MTR Corporation Limited and Sun Hung Kai Properties as Phase 7 of the Union Square Development. Rising, the ICC is the tallest building in Hong Kong as well as the 12th tallest building in the world. Notable tenants include Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, ABN-AMRO and Accenture.
- Two International Finance Centre, located above the MTR Hong Kong Station at 8 Finance Street, Central. The 2IFC is currently the second tallest building in Hong Kong at tall. It became the tallest building in Hong Kong upon its completion in 2003 until it was surpassed by the ICC in 2009. It was built as the second phase of the International Finance Centre commercial development. Notable tenants include UBS, Samsung Electronics, Hong Kong Monetary Authority and BNP Paribas.
- Central Plaza, located at 18 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. The Central Plaza is currently the third tallest building in Hong Kong at a pinnacle height of. It was the tallest building in Hong Kong when it was built in 1992 until it was surpassed by 2IFC in 2003. The Central Plaza was also the tallest building in Asia from 1992 until 1996, surpassed by Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen. The building is notable for its unique exterior shape as well as its LIGHTIME lighting system. It also houses the world's highest church inside a skyscraper, Sky City Church.
- Bank of China Tower, located at 1 Garden Road, in Central. Designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Chinese American architect I.M. Pei, the tower is high with two masts reaching high. It is currently the fourth tallest building in Hong Kong. It was the tallest building outside of the United States from 1990 to 1992, and was the first building outside of the United States to pass the mark. The exterior design of the building resembles bamboo shoots, symbolizing livelihood and prosperity in Feng Shui.
- Cheung Kong Centre at 2 Queen's Road Central, Central. Standing tall and completed in 1999, this skyscraper is the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings. The building's top floor contains a private residence for Cheung Kong Holdings' billionaire Chairman Li Ka-Shing.
- The Center, located at 99 Queen's Road Central, Central. Completed in 1998 and standing tall, this building was one of the first large urban renewal projects undertaken by the Land Development Corporation. The skyscraper's unique structure is entirely composed of steel and lacks a reinforced concrete core.
- Hopewell Centre, located at 183 Queen's Road East, Wanchai. At tall, the Hopewell Centre was the tallest building in both Hong Kong and Asia when it was completed in 1980. The building signifies the eastern expansion of Hong Kong's central business district. The Hopewell Centre has a unique cylindrical shaped design with a revolving restaurant on the 62nd level of the building. Designed by Sir Gordon Wu, chairman of Hopewell Holdings, the building serves as the headquarters of his company.
- HSBC Main Building, located at 1 Queen's Road Central, Central. The building, standing tall, is the headquarters of HSBC, and is the fourth generation of their headquarters. Designed by the famed British architect Norman Foster, the building took seven years to complete, and is noted as being the most expensive building in the world at completion at HK$5.2 billion in 1985. Together with Statue Square, the building also serves as a gathering place for thousands of Filipino domestic workers during weekends and holidays.
- Jardine House, located at 1 Connaught Place, Central. Upon completion in 1973, the -tall skyscraper was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia. The building features round windows, as opposed to traditional rectangular windows, for a stronger curtain wall and thinner structural frame. These round windows also earned the building a nickname of "The House of a Thousand Arseholes."
Tallest buildings
Rank | Name | Image | Height m | Floors | Use | Year | Coordinates | Notes |
International Commerce Centre | 484 | 108 | Hotel, Office | 2010 |
| |||
Two International Finance Centre | 416 | 88 | Office | 2003 | ||||
Central Plaza | 374 | 78 | Office | 1992 | ||||
Bank of China Tower | 367 | 70 | Office | 1990 | ||||
The Center | 346 | 73 | Office | 1998 | ||||
Nina Tower | 320 | 80 | Hotel, Office | 2007 | ||||
One Island East | 298 | 68 | Office | 2008 | ||||
Victoria Dockside | 284 | 65 | Hotel, Office | 2019 | * Rosewood Hotels & Resorts | |||
Cheung Kong Centre | 283 | 63 | Office | 1999 | ||||
The Cullinan North Tower | 270 | 68 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
The Cullinan South Tower | 270 | 68 | Hotel, Residential | 2008 | ||||
The Masterpiece | 261 | 64 | Hotel, Residential | 2008 | ||||
Sorrento 1 | 256 | 75 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Langham Place Office Tower | 255 | 59 | Office | 2004 | ||||
Highcliff | 252 | 72 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
The Harbourside | 251 | 73 | Residential | 2004 | ||||
Manulife Plaza | 240 | 52 | Office | 1998 | ||||
Sorrento 2 | 236 | 66 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
The Harbourfront Landmark | 233 | 70 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
The Arch | 231 | 65 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Cosco Tower | 228 | 53 | Office | 1998 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 5 | 227 | 61 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 6 | 227 | 61 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Hopewell Centre | 222 | 64 | Office | 1980 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 1 | 221 | 63 | Residential | 2000 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 2 | 221 | 63 | Residential | 2000 | ||||
Tregunter 3 | 220 | 66 | Residential | 1993 | ||||
The Summit | 220 | 65 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Grand Promenade 2–5 | 219 | 66 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Sorrento 3 | 218 | 64 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 2B Le Prime Towers 6−8 | 215 | 66 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Sun Hung Kai Centre | 215 | 56 | Office | 1981 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 3 | 214 | 61 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
The Belcher's Tower 8 | 214 | 61 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Island Shangri-La | 213 | 57 | Hotel | 1991 | ||||
Victoria Towers 1 | 213 | 62 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Victoria Towers 2 | 213 | 62 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Victoria Towers 3 | 213 | 62 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Shining Heights | 213 | 55 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
Sorrento 5 | 212 | 62 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Indi Home | 212 | 56 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 1 The Capitol Tower 1 | 210 | 61 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 1 The Capitol Tower 2 | 210 | 61 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 3A Hemera Tower 1 | 210 | 60 | Residential | 2014 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 3A Hemera Tower 2 | 210 | 60 | Residential | 2014 | ||||
One International Finance Centre | 210 | 38 | Office | 1998 | ||||
Grand Promenade 1 | 209 | 63 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Grand Promenade 6 | 209 | 63 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
MetroPlaza Tower 2 | 209 | 47 | Office | 1992 | ||||
The Hermitage 1–3 | 207 | 55 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
One Silversea 1-8 | 207 | 46 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Sorrento 6 | 206 | 60 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 1 The Capitol Tower 3 | 206 | 59 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 1 The Capitol Tower 5 | 206 | 59 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 2C Le Splendeur Towers 9–11 | 206 | 63 | Residential | 2012 | ||||
Bellagio Tower 1–5 | 206 | 64 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Citibank Plaza | 206 | 51 | Office | 1992 | ||||
May House | 206 | 47 | Government | 2004 | ||||
Metro Town Tower 1 | 205 | 62 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Metro Town Tower 2 | 205 | 62 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Four Seasons Place | 205 | 55 | Hotel, Residential | 2005 | ||||
Hysan Place | 204 | 36 | Office, Retail | 2012 | ||||
Island Resort Tower 1–2 | 202 | 60 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Island Resort Tower 3–5 | 202 | 60 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Island Resort Tower 6–7 | 202 | 60 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Island Resort Tower 8–9 | 202 | 60 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
China Online Centre | 201 | 52 | Office | 2000 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 2A Le Prestige Towers 1–3, 5 | 200 | 61 | Residential | 2010 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 1 The Capitol Tower 6 | 200 | 57 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
Conrad Hong Kong Hotel | 199 | 61 | Hotel, Residential | 1991 | ||||
Queensway Government Offices | 199 | 56 | Office | 1985 | ||||
Le Point Tower 06 | 198 | 60 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
Le Point Tower 07 | 198 | 60 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
Bellagio Tower 6–9 | 198 | 60 | Residential | 2002 | ||||
The Hermitage 6–8 | 198 | 49 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Manhattan Hill 1–2 | 198 | 51 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
The Merton 1 | 197 | 59 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
The Pacifica 1 | 197 | 50 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
The Pacifica 2–5 | 197 | 50 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
The Pacifica 6 | 197 | 50 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
The Pacifica 7 | 197 | 50 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Wharf Cable Tower | 197 | 41 | Office, Industrial | 1993 | ||||
Chelsea Court Tower North | 197 | 59 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Chelsea Court Tower West | 197 | 59 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Aigburth | 196 | 48 | Residential | 1999 | ||||
Vision City 2 | 195 | 54 | Residential | 2007 | ||||
Vision City 3 | 195 | 54 | Residential | 2007 | ||||
Vision City 5 | 195 | 54 | Residential | 2007 | ||||
Le Point Tower 08 | 195 | 59 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
Le Point Tower 09 | 195 | 59 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
Le Point Tower 10 | 195 | 59 | Residential | 2008 | ||||
Times Square Natwest Tower | 194 | 40 | Office | 1993 | ||||
Primrose Hill Tower 3 | 193 | 58 | Residential | 2010 | ||||
Vision City 1 | 192 | 53 | Residential | 2007 | ||||
39 Conduit Road | 192 | 42 | Residential | 2009 | ||||
Banyan Garden 2 | 191 | 57 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Banyan Garden 6 | 191 | 57 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Banyan Garden 7 | 191 | 57 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 3A Hemera Tower 3 | 190 | 54 | Residential | 2014 | ||||
LOHAS Park Phase 3A Hemera Tower 5 | 190 | 54 | Residential | 2014 | ||||
The Centrium | 189 | 41 | Office | 2001 | ||||
The Merton 2 | 189 | 55 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Metro Town Tower 3 | 188 | 57 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Metro Town Tower 5 | 188 | 57 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
One Exchange Square | 188 | 52 | Office | 1985 | ||||
Two Exchange Square | 188 | 52 | Office | 1985 | ||||
Oxford House Time Warner | 188 | 41 | Office | 1999 | ||||
Millennium City 5 | 187 | 45 | Office | 2004 | ||||
Landmark East Tower 1 | 187 | 43 | Office | 2008 | ||||
Landmark East Tower 2 | 187 | 43 | Hotel, Office | 2008 | ||||
9 Queen's Road Central | 187 | 39 | Office | 1991 | ||||
Entertainment Building | 187 | 33 | Office | 1993 | ||||
Manhattan Hill 3 | 187 | 48 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Manhattan Hill 5 | 187 | 48 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Manhattan Hill 6 | 187 | 48 | Residential | 2006 | ||||
Lippo Centre II | 186 | 48 | Office | 1988 | ||||
The Westpoint | 186 | 41 | Office | 1999 | ||||
Standard Chartered Bank Building | 185 | 42 | Office | 1990 | ||||
Sino Plaza | 185 | 38 | Office | 1992 | ||||
Manhattan Heights | 185 | 55 | Residential | 2000 | ||||
AIA Central | 185 | 40 | Office | 2005 | ||||
Festival City III Tower 1 | 185 | 58 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Festival City III Tower 2 | 185 | 58 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Festival City III Tower 3 | 185 | 58 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Festival City III Tower 5 | 185 | 58 | Residential | 2011 | ||||
Ocean Pointe | 184 | 54 | Residential | 2001 | ||||
Vision City 6 | 183 | 50 | Residential | 2007 | ||||
Banyan Garden 5 | 183 | 54 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Three Pacific Place | 182 | 40 | Office | 2004 | ||||
Branksome Crest | 182 | 47 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Convention Plaza Office Tower | 181 | 50 | Office | 1990 | ||||
Liberté 1 | 181 | 51 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Liberté 2 | 181 | 51 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Liberté 3 | 181 | 51 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Immigration Tower | 181 | 49 | Office | 1990 | ||||
Revenue Tower | 181 | 49 | Office | 1990 | ||||
AIA Tower | 180 | 44 | Office | 1999 | ||||
The Merton 3 | 180 | 51 | Residential | 2005 | ||||
Sham Wan Towers 1 | 180 | 51 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Sham Wan Towers 2 | 180 | 51 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Sham Wan Towers 3 | 180 | 45 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Liberté 5 | 180 | 52 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Liberté 6 | 180 | 52 | Residential | 2003 | ||||
Banyan Garden 3 | 180 | 53 | Residential | 2003 |
Tallest under construction or proposed
This list ranks under construction, topped-out and planned buildings that are expected to stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building is expected to be complete. A floor count of 50 storeys is used as the cutoff in place of a height of for buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers.Name | Height m | Floors | Use | Year* | Status | Coordinates | Notes |
Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Landmark Tower | 285 | 63 | Multiple | 2021 | Under Construction |
| |
Somerset House Redevelopment | 225 | 51 | Office | 2018 | Under construction | ||
Hopewell Centre II | 210 | 55 | Hotel | 2018 | Under construction | ||
Taikoo Place Redevelopment Phase 2B Building | 195 | 46 | Office | Approved |
Demolished buildings
This table lists buildings in Hong Kong that were demolished which once stood at least tall.Name | Image | Height m | Floors | Years existed | Coordinates | Replacement building | Notes |
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong | 142 | 31 | 1992–2008 | China Construction Bank Tower | |||
Hennessy Centre | 140 | 41 | 1981–2006 | Hysan Place | |||
Furama Kempinski Hotel | 110 | 33 | 1973–2002 | AIG Tower | |||
Lodge on the Park | 97 | 29 | 1988–2011 | Kennedy Park at Central | |||
Beautiful City Building | 93 | 28 | 1978 – c. 2003 | CASA 880 | |||
Tai Sang Commercial Building | 90 | 27 | 1977–2009 | 24-34 Hennessy Road Redevelopment | |||
Hong Kong Hilton | 87 | 26 | 1962–1995 | Cheung Kong Centre | |||
Elegant Court | 83 | 25 | 1987 – c. 2009 | Twenty One Whitfield | |||
Crocodile House 1 | 77 | 23 | 1982–2008 | Agricultural Bank of China Tower | |||
Melbourne Industrial Building | 77 | 23 | 1972–2003 | One Island East | |||
Aik San Factory Building | 73 | 22 | 1969–2003 | One Island East | |||
Lee Gardens Hotel | 73 | 22 | c. 1970s–c. 1990s | Manulife Plaza | |||
Ananda Tower | 70 | 21 | 1978–2008 | Agricultural Bank of China Tower | |||
Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank | 70 | 13 | 1935–1981 | HSBC Building | |||
Swire House | 67 | 20 | 1962–1998 | Chater House |
| ||
Crocodile House 2 | 63 | 19 | 1979–2008 | Agricultural Bank of China Tower | |||
Chartered Bank Building | 60 | 18 | 1958–1987 | Standard Chartered Bank Building | |||
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong | 60 | 18 | 1964–2006 | iSQUARE | |||
Tung Ying Building | 57 | 17 | 1965–2006 | The ONE | |||
Tung Sang Building | 57 | 17 | 1972–2006 | York Place | |||
City East Building | 53 | 16 | 1973–2007 | Gardeneast Serviced Apartments | |||
Jardine House | 53 | 16 | 1957–1982 | Wheelock House | |||
Chiao Shang Building | 50 | 15 | 1964–2004 | 100QRC | |||
Dragon Seed Building | 43 | 13 | 1966–2008 | Prosperity Tower | |||
Luk Hoi Tong Building | 43 | 13 | 1961–2008 | LHT Tower | |||
Alexandra House | 43 | 13 | 1952–1974 | Alexandra House | |||
Kingsford Industrial Centre | 40 | 12 | 1986–2006 | The Spectacle |
Notable cancelled or vision projects
This lists notable projects that were abandoned, cancelled or never meant to be built that had a planned height of at least.Name | Height m | Floors* | Notes |
Bionic Tower | 1,128 | 300 |
|
Kowloon MTR Tower | 574 | 102 | |
Original Nina Tower Proposal | 518 | 108 | |
SAR Government Centre | 450 | ||
The Gateway III | 405 | 96 | |
Hong Kong Wanchai Tower | 400 |
Timeline of tallest buildings
This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Hong Kong.Name | Image | Years as tallest | Height m | Floors | Location | Reference |
Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building | 1935–1950 | 70 | 13 | |||
Bank of China Building | 1950–1963 | 76 | 17 | Des Voeux Road Central | 2A ||
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong | 1963–1966 | 91 | 25 | 5 Connaught Road | ||
Kiu Kwan Mansion | 1966–1971 | 95 | 28 | King's Road | 395 ||
Pearl City Mansion | 1971–1973 | 109 | 34 | Paterson Street | 22-36 ||
Jardine House | 1973–1980 | 179 | 52 | |||
Hopewell Centre | 1980–1990 | 222 | 64 | |||
Bank of China Tower | 1990–1992 | 367 | 70 | |||
Central Plaza | 1992–2003 | 374 | 78 | |||
Two International Finance Centre | 2003–2010 | 416 | 88 | |||
International Commerce Centre | 2010–present | 484 | 108 | 1 Austin Road, Kowloon |