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Chater House

From Alfawiki
Chater House
Company typeCommercial office building
IndustryReal estate
FoundedMarch 2003; 23 years ago (2003-03)
FounderHongkong Land
Headquarters
Central, Hong Kong
,
Hong Kong
ProductsOffice space, Retail podium (Landmark Chater)
OwnerHongkong Land
Websitewww.hongkongland.com/en/portfolio/commercial/chater-house/

Chater House () stands as a 30-storey commercial tower situated in Central, Hong Kong, under the ownership and development of Hongkong Land. Inaugurated in March 2003, it incorporates a retail podium spanning three levels, known as Landmark Chater. This HK$2.3 billion development was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and built by Gammon Construction. Positioned at 7-9 Connaught Road Central and 10-12 Chater Road, the building fronts three thoroughfares: Chater Road, Pedder Street, and Connaught Road Central. It occupies the former site of Swire House and bears the name of Sir Paul Chater.

Plot history

From 1905 until 1958, the location was occupied by three separate structures: Mansions Building (later renamed Union Building), King's Building, and York Building.

Union Building

Following the Praya reclamation between 1890 and 1904, a structure opened in 1905 that housed Canadian Pacific Ocean Services on its ground floor and the Hong Kong, Canton & Macao Steamboat Company on the first floor. In 1921, Union Insurance Society of Canton Ltd. acquired the property, subsequently renaming it Union Building ().

Hongkong Land purchased this building in 1946 and proceeded to demolish it in 1950. The company later acquired King's Building and razed it in 1958 to finalize the Union House complex.

King's Building

Constructed in 1905 adjacent to Union Building along Connaught Road, King's Building was once occupied by Marconi Wireless. It was demolished in 1958.

York Building

Also erected in 1905, York Building was demolished alongside King's Building in 1958.

Swire House

Completed in 1962, the 23-storey structure originally named Union House (於仁大廈) offered approximately 34,000 square metres (370,000 sq ft) of floor area. In the 1970s, the Swire Group obtained naming rights, renaming it Swire House (太古大廈) in 1976. By 1997, tenants included Cathay Pacific occupying roughly 30% of the space, together with Swire Pacific and Swire Industries. The building was demolished on 5 October 1998.

Chater House

Following the inauguration of Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, Hongkong Land redeveloped the site into Chater House. The building encompasses a net area of 438,500 sq.ft. (498,000 gross sq.ft.) and was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox alongside Aedas architects. It features thirty floors dedicated to office space above a three-level retail podium with basement parking accommodating 112 vehicles. The project cost totaled HK$2.3 billion and reached completion in 2003. Gammon Construction served as the main contractor. Additionally, Chater House connects directly to the Central Elevated Walkway, also owned by Hongkong Land.

In 2014, plans to exhibit Antony Gormley's Event Horizon at Chater House were withdrawn after JPMorgan—a tenant—requested Hongkong Land to cancel sponsorship following a bank employee's suicide within the premises.

Tenants

The primary occupant of Chater House is JPMorgan, which operates its Asia–Pacific headquarters there. Other notable tenants include Franklin Templeton Investments and Jane Street Capital. Previous occupants have included the Securities and Futures Commission. The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors was formerly based in Swire House.

Adjacent Structures

External links

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