REPORT ON HSBC, HONG KONG

HARSHI GARG
4B
Introduction
Architect: Norman Foster • Exoskeleton steel truss

Location :Hong Kong, China • 8 masts- each consists of 4 columns, supporting

five discrete two-story height steel suspension
Building Type: skyscraper commercial office tower, structure.
bank headquarters
• The span is 112ft (33.5m) between the masts and
Construction System :steel frame and glass cantilever 36ft (10.7m) beyond them.

Climate: tropical • Hanging structure

Context: urban • 132ft (40m) height mirrored atrium.

Style :High-Tech Modern

Height: 180m

Number of floors : 41

Number of basements : 4

Floor Plans: 2nd to 29th Floor

Introduction
It is 47 storeys tall with 4 basement levels. It boasts
a roof height of 178.8m. It was designed by Foster
& Associates.

The design brief seeks to achieve three objectives –

(1) flexible office spaces in excess of 93000m2
(2) meet a strict deadline, ergo relatively quick
construction after the demolition of the previous
building on site, and
(3) “the best bank building in the world” – a
statement of confidence of the bank’s commitment
to Hong Kong even after its eventual hand-over to
China at the end of its lease to the UK. Floor Plans: Ground Floor

Foster & Partner’s concept to achieve this was of a

“High-tech Structural Expressionist Building.” The
concept focused on pre-fabricated typologies in
order to achieve flexibility and ease of construction.

The need to build downwards and upwards

simultaneously resulted in a suspension structure
giving the building an appearance more similar to a
bridge than an office building.

Feng-shui was influential in the design of the

building, responsible for the façade orientation, the
lobby and escalator configurations, the structural
framing, and the famous two lions at the lobby to
invite good luck and the two “concrete cannons” at
the roof to negate bad Feng-shui caused by the Floor Plans: 2nd to 29th Floor
nearby Bank of China building.

Planning and
Shape of Plan
The plan is an irregular rectangular shape with an
atrium at the center. The structural system used
eliminated the use of interior columns creating a huge
uninterrupted floor space. A central building core was
also ignored in favor of services relegated to the
floor’s periphery. This allowed the architect to achieve
the desired floor area while also providing great Floor Plans: 30th to 36th Floor
flexibility for planning interior spaces and building
services.
 Dark Green:
Plant Rooms

Violet: WC

Blue: Escalator

Light Blue: Lifts

Light Green:
Fire Stairs

Notable Elements:

• Column Free Floor Area

• Clear & Unobstructed Circulation
• Modular Services in the Periphery
Feng-shui Influences
• Awkwardly Angled Escalators thought to bring
good fortune in the building
3D Form
Three elements make up the prominent form of
the HSBC Headquarters Building.
First, the stepped profile - three-tower
configuration of the building as a result of the
modular floor plan.
This stepped profile was the result of the
building zone layout designed by the architect.

Figure 1 -
North Profile
Second, the prominent Exoskeleton Truss Frame or
the Chevron design consisting of the vierendreel
mast and the inverted chevrons. This serves as the
main structural system of the building.
Last, the extensive glass curtain wall with sun-
shading systems that intend to increase
transparency in the building and reduce reliance
on artificial lighting.
 Building Skin
Although the design of the building is simple in
terms of the concept, plan, and section, the
completed form results in complex 3D relationships
that increase the difficulty of cladding.

Cladding System
Diagram

Cladding System
Mock-up

The solution for this are highly detailed mix of glass,

aluminium, composite, and steel cladding.

Close Up View of Facade

The influences that led to the adoption of

these features are as follows:

• Modular design which was a result of the

hectic delivery schedule

• High-tech Style of the Architect

• The desire for flexibility

Curtain Wall Detail

Building Services Service Modules
Vertical Circulation
The main mode of vertical circulation employed in
the building is the escalator having 62 of them in the
whole building. They are positioned near the center
of the building.
As part of the modular design, service modules
containing mechanical equipment as well as the
auxiliary spaces required by the building such as
bathrooms have been employed. This is an example
of plug-in architecture. They are found on the east
and west sides of the building as part of the split
core.

Elevators play a supporting role in vertical

circulation. They are located in the east side of the
building as part of the split core type employed in
the design.

Strategic Framework
 Building Form Suspension
Masts are made up of 4 tubular steel
columns .These columns decrease the
diameter over the rise of the building , to
System
reflect the decrease the axial lateral loads
tubes inter connected by rectangular beams

Bracing located on the

interlining of the masts direct
the loads into a single point ,
called the central nod . this
reduces the spacial need for
bracing

Rectangular beams
interconnect 4 steel
tubes

Tubular steel columns

• Designed to withstand horizontal forces

• Coat hanger structural system : the suspension

trusses are connected to each other and the
masts by pins , and support the hanger which
intern support the floor structure

MAST

HANGER

FLOOR
SUSPENSION TRUSS
Foundation
Internal cross bracing 3story high on either side of
• Ground conditions : Up to 7m of loose fill the atrium ,but for lateral load bearing , cross
bearing is situated from the north side internally
• Sandy marine deposits up to 4m thick absent on through to the south
south side

• Completely decomposed granite (CDG)

• Ranges in thickness from 15-27m

• Top 6-9m has weathered to medium dense silty

sand

• Granite bedrock : highly undulating surface

• Ground water level : 2 to 3 m below ground

• A total of 32 reinforced concrete piles

• Based on sediment soil condition, The designers

chose to dig out 20 meters of infill and place four
additional levels below grade
Facades

• EAST :Set back Allowing set back for future

building improvements and to reduce the shadow
cast on the surrounding buildings

• NORTH :Glazing especially on the north facade is

braced using window trusses

Connections

• Pinned Connection- Trusses

• Rigid Connection- Floor Slab, Masts, Cross

Braces
Trusses were assembled using large pins to create a
hinged connection allowing the building to be • Weld Joints, Bolts and Rivets, Cast in site
flexible.
Floors
• Reinforced concrete floors act as a sheer plane
reducing the axial rotation of the building
• Reinforced concrete floor reduce the vibration
and noise circulation
• Clusters of floors were organised in five “social
villages”, separated by double-height communal
floors where the trusses leap across the facade.
Banks of high-speed elevators shuttle employees
to these five levels, from where the individual
office floors are accessed by a zigzagging series of
escalators, turning the circulation into a theatrical
and sociable promenade space - acts as a
recreational or relaxation space
Social Zones
IMPLICATIONS OF FLOOR PLATE STRUCTURE
• The only impending structural elements on an
otherwise open floor plan are the structural
masts and hangers.
• Floor plan divided by demountable partitions
• Flexibility increased with the use of under floor
service ducts rather than over head.
• Floor heights have been determined in
increments of 2.8m , Double height spaces at
5.6m, 8.4 and 11.2 m respectively.
• 10 storey atrium space is a landscaped

• functional zones correspond to these five

OUTER
HANGERS FLOOR STRUCTURE :
-100mm reinforced
concrete slab, cast on a
profiled metal decking
-Decking spans between
the secondary beams
structural ones:
• The truss levels are double height and have
specialized common functions, and the high
speed elevators, locate at the west side of the
building, are programmed to stop at them. From
these floors, vertical circulation is via escalators,
to provide a more sociable way of moving
through the zones than by elevator.

• Each zone accommodates a single bank function

or several related ones, and the concept is that
the zones are “social villages’” subsets of the
bank as a whole, with which the employees
identify.
EXTERNAL
SUN
SHADE
BACKUP WALL
TYPICAL LIGHTING
CURTAINWALL

ACCOUSTIC
FIRE
BARRIER
Materials
• 30,000 tonnes of steel modules
• Steel service pods
• Lightweight movable flooring panels
• Aluminium cladding system

Loads
• Gravity Loads
• SEISMIC LOAD
•The design basic acceleration of ground motion in
Hong Kong is 0.1g ~ 0.15g(0.9m/s²~1.5m/s²)

• Hong Kong is not belong to any seismic belt

• The ground of Hong Kong is sediment or backfill

soil
CORE
• WIND LOAD TYPOLOGY
• Split core system used on western and
• Hong Kong is located in typhoon area, the eastern façade. This is to dampen the
maximum speed is 155mile/h thermal impact of the sun and increase
the focus on increases the stunning views
• 3~4 times typhoon a year S to the north.

DESIGN OF CORE MODULES :

• Subcontracted to a Japanese firm
• Meant that the modules could be stacked
on top of one another
• prefabricated units
• Structural steel truss modules
• Each 24m of floor space has access to both
the emergency exits, lifts and bathrooms

CREATION OF
PUBLIC SPACE :
• Implications at ground level, allowing the
entire building to be jacked up on steel
legs to free the area beneath for the
public plaza. It was a significant gesture in
high-density Hong Kong and it continues
to be a well-used public space

• The two angled escalators (so positioned

at the directive of the Chinese fung-shui,
or environmental diviner, as are a number
of other elements in the building)
OTHER SERVICES
The economic base of the Chennai City had shifted
from trade and commerce to administration and
services by the early part of the 20th Century. In the
post independence period, manufacturing became
an important sector and CMA continues to be most
important industrial area in the State. Recent trend
shows that the economic structure of the city is
tertiarised with growing contribution by Information
Technology/Information Technology Enabling
Service/Business Process Outsourcing Industries.

2. Chennai City alone accounts for 10.94 percVent of

the State Income. The income in the areas of
Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur District, which fall
within CMA, based on proportion of population,
roughly, has been estimated at 2.8 percent and 2.5
percent respectively. These show that CMA accounts
for 16.21 percent of the state income from all
sectors.

LATER FORCE
ANALYSIS
• Short direction is important
In rectangular buildings, the greatest problem
with lateral forces is in the short direction of the
building, although stability must be assured in
both directions.

• Cross bracing
Frame action is less efficient than either shear
walls or cross bracing
• Symmetry
Structures are designed in symmetric
Stairs and elevator cores are arranged in symmetric

• Increase resistance to bending

Greatest amount of material should be located in
the outer, rather than the inner, vertical elements.

COOLING SYSTEM

EXTERIOR AND
INTERIOR SUN
OTHER SCOOPS
• DAY: Illuminates the building , including the

FEATURES vertical atrium sun scoop - allows natural light to

pass from the east to the west throughout the
day, With the mirror bays within the sun scoop
SEA WATER :
,being adjustable from a mechanical computing
• Usage of sea water for flushing the toilet
system.
and running the air condition systems
• NIGHT : interior sun coop illuminates with
AIR CONDITIONIING :
artificial light , following the same process using
• Used for heating and cooling the building
mirrors to occur without the presence of sunlight,
• Contains a heat and moisture retaining
thus more energy efficient due to controlled solar
wheel
radiation.
• Sea water is brought in and chillers , travels
to the AC unit
• Thermostat : uses the cooled water for
cooling
• UNIT : De-Centralised, i.e. it immediately
responds to the controls, thus making the
system more energy efficient.

Interior sun scoop Exterior of sun scoop

SEA WATER PIPING SYSTEM

Exterior view with Exterior sun scoop

mirror bay Attached to masts