International Commerce Centre
| Company type | Commercial skyscraper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Real estate, Hospitality |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | West Kowloon , Hong Kong |
| Products | Office space, Hotel (The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong), Observation deck (Sky100), Dining (Skydining 101) |
| Parent | Sun Hung Kai Properties (construction by Sanfield, a division of Sun Hung Kai) |
| Website | www |
The International Commerce Centre stands as a 108-story supertall skyscraper situated in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is positioned above the Elements shopping complex and lies in close proximity to two MTR stations: Kowloon and Austin Station. Globally, it ranks as the 13th tallest building by height and the 10th tallest by total floors. Within Hong Kong, it holds the distinction of being the tallest structure, uniquely surpassing the 100-floor mark. The building’s official height measurement incorporates tall parapets atop its roof. Upon completion in 2010, it was recognized as the fourth tallest skyscraper both in Asia and worldwide.
The southern exterior of the tower overlooks Victoria Harbour.
History
Regulatory restrictions aimed at preventing buildings from exceeding nearby mountain elevations led to a reduction in the initially planned height. Initially called Kowloon Station Phase 7, the design envisioned a with 102 stories. The architectural design was undertaken by the American firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) in collaboration with Wong & Ouyang, while construction was carried out by Sanfield, the construction division of Sun Hung Kai.
On 13 September 2009, construction activities were temporarily halted following a tragic accident in a lift shaft that caused six fatalities among workers.
Floor count
Although the highest floor is marked as "118," certain floor numbers ending with "4" were deliberately omitted due to tetraphobia prevalent in Cantonese and Mandarin cultures, akin to Western avoidance of the number 13. Additionally, floors ending with "3"—except for 3, 103, and 113—as well as floors numbered 5, 6, 7, 26, 28, 29, and 105 were excluded for undisclosed reasons. These missing levels have been substituted by mechanical ("M") and refuge ("R") floors. Despite their physical absence, elevator panels for Sky100 and Skydining 101 display these numbers during vertical travel.
A total of 28 floor numbers were skipped: 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 43, 44, 53, 54, 63, 64, 73, 74, 83, 84, 93, 94, 104, 105, and 114. In contrast, there are also eighteen additional mechanical and refuge levels designated as UG; M1-1 through M1-5 (excluding M1-4); R1 to R4; M2-1 to M2-2; M3-1 to M3-2; M4-1 to M4-3; M5; and M6.
... [table continues with office tenants and mechanical/refuge floors as per original]| Level | Tower level | Type | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 118 | 103 | The Ritz-Carlton (swimming pool, fitness centre & Ozone bar) | 476 m (1,562 ft) |
| M6 | 102 | Mechanical | |
| 117 | 101 | The Ritz-Carlton (presidential suite) | |
| 116 | 100 | The Ritz-Carlton (spa & club lounge) | 465 m (1,526 ft) |
| 115 | 99 | The Ritz-Carlton (guest rooms) | |
| 113 | 98 | ||
| 112 | 97 | ||
| 111 | 96 | ||
| 110 | 95 | ||
| 109 | 94 | ||
| 108 | 93 | ||
| 107 | 92 | ||
| 106 | 91 | ||
| M5 | 90 | Mechanical | |
| 103 | 89 | The Ritz-Carlton (reception lobby, Café 103 & buffet) | 425 m (1,394 ft) |
| 102 | 88 | The Ritz-Carlton (dining) | |
| M4-3 | 87 | The Ritz-Carlton (staff only) / Mechanical | |
| M4-2 | 86 | Mechanical | |
| M4-1 | 85 | ||
| R4 | 84 | Refuge | |
| 101 | 83 | Skydining 101 | 399 m (1,309 ft) |
| 100 | 82 | Sky100 & Café 100 | 393 m (1,289 ft) |
| 99 | 81 | UBS | |
| 98 | 80 | ||
| 97 | 79 | ||
| 96 | 78 | Office |
Sky100 & Skydining 101
An elevator travels upward at a speed of 32 km/h, reaching the indoor observation deck known as Sky100 on the 100th floor, situated at a height of 393 meters. This deck ranks as Hong Kong's second tallest indoor viewing platform, surpassed only by the outdoor Sky Terrace 428 located at The Peak Tower. Sky100 welcomes visitors daily from 10:00 to 20:30, with the final admission at 20:00. Ticket prices for individuals aged between 12 and 64 are set at HK$198. Notably, portions of the 2012 Hong Kong action movie Cold War were filmed at this location.
On level 101, positioned at 399 meters, Skydining 101 offers a selection of four dining establishments: Inakaya, Odyssée, The Sky Boss, and The Kitin.
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
The luxurious five-star Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong spans floors 102 through 118. It holds the Guinness World Record for featuring the "highest swimming pool in a building worldwide," located on the 118th floor at an elevation of 468.8 meters. The Presidential Suite, covering an area of 2,800 m² on the 117th floor, commands a nightly rate of HK$100,000.
Guests enter the hotel via the lobby on the 9th floor and use express elevators that reach the main lobby on the 103rd floor within 50 seconds. Elevator access to guest rooms on floors 104 to 117 and facilities such as the pool and gym on floor 118 is controlled by keycard authorization. The exclusive Club Lounge and spa reside on the 116th floor, while three dining options—including Italian restaurant Tosca and a Chinese venue—are situated on floor 102 beneath the reception area.
The ICC Light and Music Show
The LED light display at ICC achieved a new Guinness World Record for staging the “largest light and sound show on a single building,” illuminating an area of 50,000 m2 across two building facades. Conceptualized by lighting supervisor Hirohito Totsune—renowned for his work on Tokyo Skytree’s illumination system—the performance integrates lighting effects with music to narrate thematic stories, akin to Hong Kong’s famous "A Symphony of Lights."
Transport (daily)
All-day services:
Mass Transit Railway (MTR): Airport Express and Tung Chung Line serve Kowloon station, Tuen Ma Line stops at Austin station, and High-speed rail operates from Hong Kong West Kowloon station.
Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB): Includes routes 8, 11, 95, 203E, 215X, 260X, 269B, 280X, 281A, 296D, as well as routes 960, 961, 968, 978, and W2.
Citybus (CTB): Covers routes such as 50, 930, 930X, 952, 962X, 969, 970, 970X, 971, 973 along with A10, A11, A12, A22, E11 (E11A), and E23 (E23A).
(Some routes are operated jointly.)
Public light bus (minibus): Services include routes 26, 74, 74S, 77M, and CX1.
Overnight services:
Citybus (CTB): Night routes N50, N930, N952, N962, N969 as well as NA11 and NA12 operate during nighttime hours.
See also
External links
- Article about the International Commerce Centre published in Building Journal, April 2011.
- Official website for Elements shopping mall
- Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd., "Over fifty years of architectural design expertise in Hong Kong", section "International Commerce Centre and The Cullinan", pages 31–33, September 2009