Bank of China Building

Status	Complete
Type	Office
Location	Hong Kong

Construction started	18 April 1985
Completed	1990
Opening	17 May 199

Antenna spire	367.4 m (1,205.4 ft)
Roof	315.0 m (1,033.5 ft)
Top floor	288.2 m (945.5 ft)

Floor count	72 above ground 4 basement floors
Floor area	135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft)
Elevator count	45, made

Architect	I. M. Pei & Partners, Sherman Kung & Associates Architects Ltd. Thomas Boada S.L.

It houses the headquarters for the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited. The building is located at 1 Garden Road, in Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island.
Designed by I. M. Pei, the building is 307 m (1,007.2 ft) high with two masts reaching 360.9 m (1,184.1 ft) high.  It was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, and it was the first building outside the United States to break the 305 m (1,000 ft) mark. It is now the fourth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre and Central Plaza.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I. M. Pei, the building is 305.0 metres (1,000.7 ft) high with two masts reaching 357.4 metres (1,205.4 ft) high. The 72-storey building is located near Central MTR station. This was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, the first building outside the United States to break the 305 m (1,000 ft) mark, and the first composite space frame high-rise building. That also means it was the tallest outside the United States from its completion year, 1990. It is now the fourth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre and Central Plaza.

Massing model showing the shape of the Bank of China Tower. The labels correspond to the number of 'X' shapes on each outward facing side. A small observation deck on the 43rd floor of the building is open to the public. The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. The whole structure is supported by the five steel columns at the corners of the building, with the triangular frameworks transferring the weight of the structure onto these five columns. It is covered with glass curtain walls. While its distinctive look makes it one of Hong Kong's most identifiable landmarks today, it was the source of some controversy at one time, as the bank is the only major building in Hong Kong to have bypassed the convention of consulting with feng shui masters on matters of design prior to construction. The building has been criticised by some practitioners of feng shui for its sharp edges and its negative symbolism by the numerous 'X' shapes in its original design, though Pei modified the design to some degree before construction following this feedback. The building's profile from some angles resembles that of a meat cleaver. In Feng Shui, this is described as a cleaver building and it is not difficult to observe that it is facing the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building in this guise.