List of Tallest Buildings in Hong Kong - History

History

The history of skyscrapers in Hong Kong began in 1935 with the completion of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank building, which is regarded as the first high-rise in the city. The building stood 70 m (230 ft) tall with 13 floors and existed for six decades before being demolished for the construction of the HSBC Main Building. High-rise construction was limited in the early part of the 20th century, but beginning in the 1970s, Hong Kong experienced widespread building construction that has continued to the present; this boom is in large part a result of the city's rugged, mountainous terrain and lack of flat land. The city entered into a building boom from 1980 to 1993, during which 22 of the city's 112 tallest buildings were constructed, including the Hopewell Centre, Bank of China Tower, and Central Plaza.

Beginning in 1998, Hong Kong entered into a second, much larger building boom that has continued to the present. In a ten-year span between 2000 and 2010, more than 85 buildings taller than 180 m (591 ft) were completed, including several of the tallest skyscrapers in the city such as International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre, Nina Tower I, and One Island East. Unlike the previous building trend of the 1980s and early 1990s, most of the buildings completed beginning the 21st century are for residential purposes, due to a surge in demand for luxury housing properties in Hong Kong. Also, the city saw many skyscrapers rise out of Kowloon, notably the Sorrento, the Langham Place Office Tower, and the Cullinan Towers, all of which exceed 200 metres (656 ft) in height. This was due to the closure of the Kai Tak Airport located to the northeast, which lifted height restrictions across Kowloon, allowing taller buildings to be built in the region.