by ArchitectureWeek

The second tower for the International Finance Centre, new headquarters for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, perches near the narrowest crossing of the beautiful Victoria Harbour and marks a new gateway to the city. The so-called "Two ifc," at Central Waterfront is said to be the world's third-highest building and the safest highrise completed since September 11, 2001.

The 88-story tower, designed by Cesar Pelli and Rocco Design Limited, joins a lower office tower in the complex, which also includes a major transit hub, a four-story retail mall with high-end shops, cinemas, and restaurants, and, soon, a 1000-room, six-star hotel.

The new two-million-square-foot (186,000-square-meter) highrise is designed to accommodate financial firms and is equipped with 22 high-ceilinged trading floors, high-bandwidth fiber-optic, wireless, and satellite networks, raised floors for flexible cabling management, and nearly column-free floor plans, averaging 50 feet (15 meters) from core to window wall.

The central concrete core houses the primary structure and building services, leaving the office floor plates open and providing ample corner and perimeter offices with spectacular views to the harbor and the city. Two concrete "mega-columns" per facade bookend an 80-foot (24-meter) structure-free span of curtain wall, which is clad in lightly reflective glass panels and pearl-colored mullions.   >>>

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Two ifc, by Cesar Pelli and Rocco Design, towers over Hong Kong. Photo: Marcel Lam Photography View up to the atrium escalator and skylight. Photo: Marcel Lam Photography   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.