International Finance Centre (Hong Kong)

The International Finance Centre (abbreviated as IFC) is a skyscraper and integrated commercial development on the Victoria Harbour in Central, Hong Kong.

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, The IFC complex consists of two skyscrapers (1 IFC and 2 IFC), a shopping mall (IFC Mall), and a 55-storey hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. 2 IFC is the second-tallest building in Hong Kong at a height of ,

At the time of its completion, IFC was among the most expensive commercial developments in the world, with total costs exceeding HK$50 billion (US$6.3–6.5 billion), including a record-setting HK$30 billion land premium.

In 2003, Financial Times, HSBC, and Cathay Pacific put up an advertisement on the facade that stretched more than 50 storeys, covering an area of 19,000 m<sup>2</sup> (200,000 square ft) and a length of 230 m, making it the world's largest advertisement ever put on a skyscraper.

History

Tower 1 is also known as 1IFC and branded in lowercase letters, as "One ifc". Likewise, Tower 2 is also known as 2IFC and branded as "Two ifc".

1IFC opened in December 1998, towards the end of the Asian financial crisis. Tenants included ING Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, Fidelity International, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation signed a 12-year lease on ; Nomura Group agreed to take at 2 IFC; the Financial Times, an existing tenant at One IFC, took .

2IFC, which was completed at the height of the SARS epidemic, was initially available to rent at HK$25-HK$35 per square foot. In 2007, as the economy has improved, high quality ("Grade A") office space is highly sought after; rents for current leases are $150 per square foot as of March 2007.

One International Finance Centre

One International Finance Centre, completed in 1998 and opened on 6 July 1998, has a similar design and appearance with the "Two IFC". It is tall, has 39 stories and 4 trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises . The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.

Two International Finance Centre

Two International Finance Centre, completed on 18 October 2003, is attached to the second phase of the ifc mall. This ,

Despite common practice for owners to allow naming buildings after its important tenants, the owners decided not to allow renaming of the building.

Current office tenants include Banco Santander, Baring Private Equity Asia, BGC Partners, Blackstone Group, BNP Paribas, China Universal Asset Management, Citadel, Coatue Management, DST Advisors, E Fund Management, Hillhouse Capital, Hony Capital, Investec Asset Management, Jefferies, Lazard, Lexington Partners, Millennium Management, Nomura, Sidley Austin LLP, Silver Lake, State Street Bank & Trust Company, UBS and Warburg Pincus.

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

The Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built near IFC One and Two. It was completed and opened in October 2005. The 206 m (674 ft), 60-storey oceanfront hotel is the only Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. The hotel has 399 guest suites, and 519 serviced apartments. Amenities include a French restaurant Caprice and spa.

IFC Mall

The IFC Mall is a , 4-storey luxury shopping mall, with many luxury retail brands and a wide variety of restaurants. Anchored by Lane Crawford, PALACE Cinema (part of Broadway Circuit), and C!ty'super, the first official Apple Store was also located in this mall (a 3-storey flagship store in Hong Kong). In May 2018, the first Shake Shack restaurant in Hong Kong was opened in the mall.

Cultural impact

The IFC towers have been featured in several Hollywood films, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, where Lara Croft leaps off the then-under-construction 2 International Finance Centre, landing on a ship out in the Kowloon Bay, The Dark Knight, where Batman leapt from 2 IFC to 1 IFC, and Godzilla vs Kong, where an action scene then takes place.

References

External links

Elevator Layout