THE BANK OF CHINA TOWER
Background Information
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Located in the Heart of Downtown Hong Kong
1208 ft. tall
72 Floors
Commercial Use, Bank Branch
Hybrid of Hancock (X Brace) and Sears Tower
(Tapered)
5th Tallest When Built
11th Tallest Currently
Steel, Concrete, Glass, Aluminum
Cost of Construction: Approx. $150 Million
• Chinese-American
• Harvard & MIT
• Famous Architect
• Most Famous Works
Include
– Pyramide du Louvre
– Hancock Place (Boston)
• Sharp geometry
• Conceived Idea for Tower
Himself
• Worked with Robertson
previously
Leslie Robertson
 Berkley- Civil Engineer
 Owns Structural
Engineering Firm
 World Trade Center Twin
Towers
 ENR Constructions Man of
the Year 1989
 Figured out how to
Support Pei’s Inventive
idea
 Utilizes innovative forms
(3D Space Truss)
Thesis
The Bank of China Building is the most unique
work of Structural Art of its kind, ever.
IM Pei has the ability to create simple yet
unbelievably exciting forms which enthrall the
viewer and satisfy the ideals of Society and
Symbolism.
Pei’s genius however would never be portrayed if
not for the incredible technical imagination of
Leslie Robertson, responsible for the Scientific
aspects of the building.
Social/Economic
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Very Economic
• $150 Million to Build
• Uses Much less Steel
than similar buildings
• Only Excess is
Aluminum Cladding
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Open Floors—Many
Uses
Open to Public
Easily Experienced
Scientific/Efficient
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Materials
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Steel
Glass
Aluminum
Concrete
3-D Space
Truss Design
Withstands
• Winds 2x NYC
• Earthquakes 4x
LA
Support Column Comparisons
Traditional
Tube (Hancock)
Bank of China
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Video
Live Load vs. Height BOC Tower
Tier 1
45,000,000
40,000,000
Live Load (lbs)
35,000,000
Tier 2
30,000,000
Tier 3
25,000,000
Tier 4
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
Load/Column
0
0
200
400
600
Height (ft)
800
1000
Symbolic/Elegant
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The Pride of China
Designed, Financed
and Built by Chinese
Sharp, Smooth
Visually Intriguing
Unique
Began Hong Kong
Tower Race
Built and Modified to
Pass Fung Shui
• X’s turned to
Diamonds
• Chopsticks on top
• Sharp Edges Under
Fire
Scientific Comparison
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Hancock Tower
Cross Bracing
• Hancock’s
Supports Building
from Wind Loads
• BOC’s Supports
Wind Loads and
Building Forces
while being more
Artistic &
Pleasing
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Hancock uses
much more Steel
Form Comparison
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Sears Tower
Similar Form
• Bundled Tube
• Smaller Towers
abruptly end as
Building Rises
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However BOC
maintains Fluidity as
tower rises
BOC more Artistic
Cost Comparison
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HSBC Tower
Bank
Headquarters
Norman Foster
Designed
Believed $1
Billion Cost
Same Floor
Space as BOC
Structural Art?
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YOU KNOW IT
First of its kind
Building Integrates Aluminum and Glass
as one
Sharp edges as insisted by Pei
Peak Blends into Backdrop (Mt. Victoria)
Geometry is not rigid—Form Flows
Makes you want to experience the building