Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building
The Hongkong & Shanghai Bank on the Bund is a classically sumptuous piece of imperialist financial architecture. Notwithstanding that kind of publicity and the building’s subsequent overshadowing by far inferior competitors, it remains a unique architectural achievement and a small wonder of the modern age. It was the most expensive building in the world for the usable floor area when it was built. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited’s headquarters remains an icon for the “building as machine.” And yet it is slowly being dwarfed by its neighbors.
The bank is a very good example of a building in which the fassade is an expression of the supporting structural elements. Each part is clearly articulated These images were taken on one of the very rare days when the sky is blue. A grey haze is the most common background. The vertical supports are huge Vierendeel Trusses that extend from the foundation to the rooftop. This kind of a truss does not have the diagonals that are found in standard trusses. Each and every member is rigidly connected to the other at right-angles This is not a very efficient use of the materials, but aesthetically quite interesting. These “legs” support “arms” which reach out horizontally to grab onto the hangers. Each hanger suppports a block of office floors.
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Statue Square
Statue Square is now a must-see on account of its dazzling ensemble of architecture. The square was built at the end of the 19th century. It derives its name from the fact that it originally contained the statues of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Edward VII and Sir Thomas Jackson, the chief manager of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank between 1876 and 1902. Deliberately planned to dwarf the neighbouring Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building, the Bank of China Tower is now Hong Kong’s ‘national’ monument. The Chinese-American architect, I M Pei, developed Beijing’s triumphalist intentions into a soaring, gracefully
Bank of China Tower
It was designed by architect I. M. Pei. The building is 315 meters high with two masts reaching 369 meters (1209 feet) high. The 70 storey building was built in 1989 and is located near Central (MTR). This was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, It was the first building outside the United States to break the 1000 foot mark. That also means it was the tallest outside America from its completion year, 1990.
The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity.
Star Ferry
Star Ferry is Hong Kong's most scenic and inexpensive mode of travel across Victoria Harbor and still is chosen frequently over the subway by the local residents simply because it is a terrific way to cross Victoria Harbor. As the cheapest therapy in town (currently HKD2.20 for an upper deck seat), few people disembark in anything but the lightest of moods. The journey takes about 10 minutes. On board the Ferry, one can enjoy the grandeur on both banks of Victoria Harbour, the Commerce Tower with its unique design and special architecture, the Bank of China looked like
The Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History showcases Hong Kong’s history through a display of artifacts, photographs, traditional costumes and models that span 6000 years. Glorious period sets tell the story of Chinese life in replicas of village houses, streets and stores. These memorials to the past are contained within an incredible building opened in the year 2000. The Hong Kong Museum of History was established in July 1975 when the City Museum and Art Gallery was split into the Hong Kong Museum of History and Hong Kong Museum of Art. But some of the Museum's
Western Market
This is a four-storey redbrick Edwardian building dating from 1906 occupying an entire block at the eastern end of Central, the former market was reopened in 1991 as a shopping centre featuring small shops, souvenir stands and curio sellers.
The first floor is a "cloth alley." The shopkeepers here are very old and really know their stock. The second floor is the Treasure Inn Seafood Restaurant, open from 10.30 am to midnight. The restaurant is decorated in Old Shanghai style and they offer live Chinese Opera performances. Eighteen fabric shops are located on the first floor and a food
