Central Plaza (Hong Kong)

Central Plaza
Company type	Office building
Industry	Commercial real estate
Founded	August 1992; 34 years ago
Headquarters	Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Products	Office space
Owner	Sun Hung Kai Properties and Sino Land (joint venture "Cheer City Properties")

Central Plaza is a 78-storey skyscraper situated at 18 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, on Hong Kong Island. Completed in August 1992, it stands as Hong Kong's third tallest building, following 2 International Finance Centre (2 IFC) and the International Commerce Centre. Between 1992 and 1996, it held the title of Asia’s tallest skyscraper, overtaking the Bank of China Tower until the completion of 2 IFC.

Until 1996, Central Plaza was recognized as the tallest reinforced concrete structure globally, before being surpassed by Guangzhou’s CITIC Plaza. The tower is notable for its unique triangular floor layout and a four-bar neon clock mounted on its mast, which indicates the time by changing colors every quarter hour.

The mast reaches a height of , featuring an anemometer positioned at above sea level. A distinctive aspect of Central Plaza is that it houses Sky City Church, known as the highest church located inside a high-rise building worldwide.

History

The site where Central Plaza now stands was reclaimed from Victoria Harbour during the 1970s. On 25 January 1989, the Hong Kong Government auctioned this plot at the City Hall Theatre. The land was purchased for a record HK$3.35 billion by "Cheer City Properties," a joint venture equally owned by Sun Hung Kai Properties and Sino Land, whose principal shareholder is the Ng Teng Fong family. Subsequently, Ryoden Development joined this partnership but divested its 5% share in 1995 in exchange for office space at New Kowloon Plaza.

The building’s initial major occupant was the Provisional Airport Authority, which leased floors 24 through 26 in August 1991. The topping-out ceremony was held on 9 April 1992, with Sir David Ford officiating.

Design

Central Plaza comprises a standalone office tower accompanied by a podium block. The tower includes a base level housing the primary entrance and public facilities; a main section consisting of 57 office floors, a sky lobby, and five mechanical floors; topped by six mechanical floors and a mast.

At ground level, visitors encounter a landscaped garden featuring seating areas, fountains, trees, and stone paving. The podium contains no retail outlets; its first floor functions as a public passageway connecting three pedestrian bridges that lead to the MTR, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, and China Resources Building. This public access corridor contributes to a 20% increase in plot ratio. The tower’s form is based on a modified triangular shape with clipped corners to optimize office space layouts.

The architectural design was developed by Ng Chun Man and Associates (now Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects), with engineering by Arup Group. Construction was managed by Manloze Ltd, a collaboration between Sun Hung Kai’s subsidiary Sanfield and Tat Lee.

Triangular shaped floor plan

The triangular configuration enhances harbour-view office space by approximately 20% compared to conventional square or rectangular floor plans. This design allows for improved utilization of floor area, providing an internal column-free office depth of , and achieving an overall usable floor efficiency of 81%. However, this geometry necessitates that the air handling unit (AHU) room within the core be triangular and compact, rendering standard AHUs unsuitable. Furthermore, all air-conditioning ducts, electrical trunking, and piping must be accommodated within a restricted ceiling void in narrow corridors.

Super high-rise building

Situated directly across from the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, the tower’s elevation was strategically planned to provide unobstructed views of Victoria Harbour above adjacent tall buildings. Designing such a lofty structure introduced challenges including elevated static pressure within water supply systems, significant voltage drops along electrical lines, and prolonged vertical transit times—elements that collectively raise construction expenses and influence operational safety measures.

Maximum clear ceiling height

A standard configuration usually features a clear ceiling height of and a floor-to-floor measurement of . Given the intense wind pressures in Hong Kong, each additional metre in building height increased structural expenditure by more than HK$1 million (HK$304,800 per foot). Following thorough evaluation, a floor height of was selected, resulting in savings near HK$30 million over 58 office levels while still achieving an optimal ceiling height of through meticulous design integration.

Structural constraints

Constructed on recently reclaimed terrain with a groundwater level approximately below grade, the six-level basement necessitated the implementation of a diaphragm wall system.
This approach allowed simultaneous top-down excavation of the basement alongside superstructure erection, shortening the total construction timeline.
Due to Hong Kong’s frequent typhoon activity, wind loads were a critical design consideration. Both the structural framework and façade had to resist substantial forces while ensuring occupant comfort by controlling building sway. A comprehensive wind tunnel analysis conducted by Professor Alan Davenport at the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory validated compliance with performance criteria.

Steel structure vs. reinforced concrete

High-rise buildings often employ steel frameworks. The original plan featured an external cross-braced framed tube with primary and secondary beams supporting metal decking topped by reinforced concrete slabs. The steel core was intended solely to bear vertical loads. However, after financial reassessment, the developer decided to reduce overall height by expanding floor plate dimensions, enabling adoption of a high-strength concrete system and simplifying foundation design.

The finalized scheme replaced large steel corner columns with more closely spaced columns at centers combined with floor edge beams. Employing climbing formwork and table form construction techniques alongside streamlined project management enabled completion of the reinforced concrete framework within the same schedule as steel erection. Importantly, this strategy yielded cost savings of HK$230 million compared to a steel structure, positioning Central Plaza among the tallest reinforced concrete towers globally.

The reinforced concrete core layout reflects the original steel concept, transferring wind-induced shear forces from the core at the lowest basement level outward to perimeter diaphragm walls. To reduce shear reversals at basement and tower base levels, horizontal separation between floor slabs and beams from core walls is implemented at critical floors.

Moreover, reinforced concrete provides enhanced adaptability for modifying structural configurations, dimensions, and heights using table form systems, effectively accommodating unique site conditions.

Trivia

Central Plaza was featured during the seventh stage of the reality competition The Amazing Race 2, where it was mistakenly identified as "Hong Kong's tallest building." Participants were instructed to reach the uppermost floor, although the challenges were actually held on the 46th level.

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