Architects: I. M. Pei & Partners; I. M. Pei; L. C. Pei Area: 130,000 m ² Year: 1990 Photography: I.M. Pei, LERA, Paul Warchol, Acred99, evan.chakroff Project Type: Workplace tower Structural Engineer: Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA) Engineer: Jaros, Baum &
Bolles Main Specialist: Kumagai Gumi; HKC (Holdings) Ltd.Client: Bank of China City: Hong Kong Nation: China Bank
of China
Tower workplace tower, designed by I. M. Pei and L. C. Pei in Hong Kong improved the Bank of China head office and defined a brand-new stage in the city horizon, completed in 1990. Rising at 1 Garden Roadway in Central on the former Murray House website, the task reacts to a constrained metropolitan condition formed by facilities, land value, and political context before the 1997 transfer of sovereignty. The 72-storey tower reaches 315 meters to the roofing and 367.4 meters to the top of its masts. At its opening on 17 Might 1990, it was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia and the very first structure outside the United States to exceed 305 meters. The design is specified by a faceted structure of triangular prisms and reflective glass drape walls originated from a lessening cubic mass. A structural system developed with Leslie E. Robertson Associates transfers loads through triangular frameworks to four corner columns, minimizing internal assistances and allowing flexible workplace floorings. Jaros, Baum & Bolles dealt with the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering. The job engages modernization, institutional identity, and Chinese cultural importance, with the kind often connected with bamboo growth and renewal. Public argument around feng shui, sharp geometry, the Murray House site, and the land transaction positioned the tower within broader civic and political discourse. Bank of China Tower remains among Hong Kong’s a lot of recognizable high-rise buildings and a central operate in I. M. Pei’s career.
The Bank of China Tower stands at 1 Garden Roadway in Central, Hong Kong, functioning as the headquarters of Bank of China(Hong Kong)Limited. Designed by I. M. Pei and L. C. Pei of I. M. Pei & Partners, the building opened on 17 Might 1990 and established an unique existence within the city’s horizon during a duration of economic and political transition.
The project developed on a constrained 6,700-square-meter site formerly inhabited by Murray Home. Bounded by significant roads and linked through elevated pedestrian networks, the plot required a vertical option capable of optimizing limited ground location. The land deal drew public analysis at the time, showing more comprehensive concerns tied to Hong Kong’s approaching transfer of sovereignty.
Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 36 Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 37 Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 38< img width=" 1140"height="918 "src="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='1140'%20height='918'%20viewBox='0%200%201140%20918'%3E%3C/svg%3E"alt="Bank of china tower/ i. M. Pei|classics on architecture lab"data-src=" https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/bank-of-china-tower-i-m-pei-27-1140x918.jpg"/ > Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 39 < img width="807" height= "1010"src="https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/bank-of-china-tower-i-m-pei-19.jpg" alt ="Bank of china tower/ i. M. Pei |
classics on architecture laboratory”/ > Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 40 Completed in 1990, the tower increases 315 meters to the roof and 367.4 meters to the top of its masts. The 72-storey structure includes 4 basement levels, around 130,000 square meters of flooring location, and 49 lifts. At the time of conclusion, it was the tallest structure in Hong Kong and Asia, along with the very first structure outside the United States to exceed 305 meters, a position it held till 1992. The architectural approach is specified by a close alignment in between type and structure. The massing starts as a cube and reduces in phases through 4 vertical shafts, culminating in a single triangular prism. This development produces the tower’s faceted geometry and reinforces its vertical expression.
Glass curtain walls articulate the surface area, reflecting changing light conditions throughout the harbor and the surrounding downtown. Structural reasoning underpins the structure’s visual clearness. The system, established with Leslie E. Robertson Associates, transfers loads through triangular frameworks to four steel columns placed at the corners. This strategy decreases the need for internal vertical assistances and allows for more flexible floor plates. Mechanical, electrical, and pipes systems were created by Jaros, Baum & Bolles. Building started on 18 April 1985, with Kumagai Gumi and HKC (Holdings) Ltd. responsible for execution. 
Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Lab 41 < img width="750"height="1000" src="https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/bank-of-china-tower-i-m-pei-3.jpg" alt="Bank of china tower/ i. M. Pei|classics on architecture lab"/ > Bank of China Tower/ I.M. Pei|Classics on Architecture Laboratory 42 Importance informed crucial elements of the style. Pei looked for to express growth, modernization, and institutional existence for a Chinese bank operating within a
British-administered city. The resulting kind has frequently been related to bamboo, referencing vitality and renewal in Chinese culture. Earlier versions checked out more explicit X-shaped bracing, though these were revised due to negative symbolic associations, resulting in the triangular geometry seen in the completed structure. 
Public reception stayed divided. The lack of feng shui assessment drew criticism, as did the building’s sharp geometry, which some interpreted as predicting unfavorable energy toward its surroundings. Contrasts to a knife or cleaver got in public discourse, enhancing the building’s contested symbolic reading despite its technical and official resolution.< img width=" 750"height ="1000"src="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='750'%20height='1000'%20viewBox='0%200%20750%201000'%3E%3C/svg%3E "alt ="Bank of china tower/ i. M. Pei |
