New Hong Kong Supertall Under Construction

A new 70 floor office skyscraper is underway in the former British colony of Hong Kong, the One Island Estate Center. Originally planned to be a mere 36 floors, the ambitious developer Swire Properties Ltd had the development substantially jacked up in height and redesigned by architect Wong & Ouyang.It will contain 141,000 square metres of space and 59 office floors within the form that bares more than a slight resemblance to the also under construction International Commerce Centre in Kowloon.Like that design, it has offset glass curtain walling and four primary facades that extrude at the top. The differences between the two buildings are found mostly in the lack of tapering in the One Island design and the curving corners that reduce the bulk.The tower will stand over a new public plaza with a vast airy entrance giving the impression that it hovers above the ground adding to the 60 restaurants and cafes already in the area.The supertall building which is reportedly 280 metres to roof and 308 metres tall to the tip of the façade will be the 7th building in Hong Kong over both the 300 metres and 1,000 feet marks showing the Chinese territory has lost none of its appetite for building tall. Completition on site by contractor Gammon Construction is scheduled for March 2008.