13 October 2016 - CTBUH Research
Filter by
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
The current legal building name.
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.
A complex is a group of buildings which are designed and built as pieces of a greater development.
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.
A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.
Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.
Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
Number of Hotel Rooms refers to the total number of hotel rooms contained within a particular building.
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Proposed
Construction Start
Completed
Cost
Fire
Quantity Surveyor
Vertical Transportation
Cladding
Construction Hoists
Elevator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Sealants
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Artist
Cost
Fire
Interiors
Landscape
Lighting
Marketing
Quantity Surveyor
Vertical Transportation
Way Finding
Cladding
Construction Hoists
Elevator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Fire Proofing
Paint/Coating
Sealants
Steel
2014 CTBUH Awards
2020 CTBUH Awards
2011 CTBUH Awards
13 October 2016 - CTBUH Research
10 January 2016 - Event
20 October 2016 | Hong Kong
Thursday October 20, 2016. Hong Kong, China. Tony Tang of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited presents at the 2016 China Conference Plenary 6: Hong Kong...
20 March 2020
In the first edition of the 2012 Journal, CTBUH published a Tall Buildings in Numbers study titled Tallest 20 in 2020: Era of the Megatall—The...
International Commerce Centre houses some of the most prominent financial institutions in the world. The building is routinely recognized as a paragon of good management, from a commercial, environmental, and community standpoint.
The level of energy efficiency achieved by the International Commerce Centre is unusual for a tall building, and significant investments have been made in improving energy performance over the years, especially since adapting the ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems certification in 2011. This commitment was followed by more than 50 advanced energy-saving measures. The Energy Utilization Index (EUI) of International Commerce Centre's energy performance in 2013 was 157.3 kWh/sqm, placing it among the top 10 percent of energy-efficient commercial buildings. A computerized building management system manages and controls the energy use in the building. The total energy consumption of the project was reduced from 56.3 million kWh in 2012 to 49.9 million kWh in 2013, a reduction of 6.4 million kWh, or 11 percent.
The air-conditioning system is a high-voltage water-cooled chiller system with a centrifugal separator enhancing the chiller’s coefficient of performance (COP), resulting in an 8 percent reduction in energy consumption. The system's original corrugated aluminum separator box filter was replaced with a more advanced mini-pleat filter, reducing system pressure by 25 percent and consequently reducing energy consumption as well. Management has carried out a life cycle testing program with Hong Kong Polytechnic Unversity, resulting in energy optimization and significant savings of 7 million kWh from 2011 through 2013. International Commerce Centre has saved an estimated HK $7 million (US$900,000) annually through this program.
Other energy-saving features include a low-emission curtain wall, natural lighting of the atrium, the wide adoption of energy-efficient lighting fixtures such as LEDs and T5 fittings, and double-decker elevators with destination control and power regeneration functions. Simple actions such as deactivating elevators during low-use periods are equally important. Through these investments, the building reduced CO2 emissions by 4.2 million kilograms in 2013.
The building’s waste-management program has increased its collection of recyclables from 94,000 kilograms in 2013 to 101,714 kilograms in 2013, an 8.21 percent increase. Participation in the recycling program increased from 60 percent of occupants in 2010 to 90 percent in 2013. Recycling items collected have expanded to include waste paper, plastic and aluminum cans, glass bottles, food waste, chemical waste, and coffee grounds, as well as creative reuse of festival decoration items.
Of course, a building’s initial successes in performance-based design can be undone if occupants are not well-trained and motivated to continue imbuing their daily activities with these principles. The key to achieving high performance lies in International Commerce Centre's intensive, involved relationship with its tenants. Each tenant is assigned its own account manager, who is in frequent contact with the tenant and learns about their requirements in detail. A 24/7 helpdesk is available for tenants, regardless of where they are in the world.
To ensure ongoing “greenkeeping” by occupants and the wider community, International Commerce Centre's management extended its food-waste collection program to the surrounding community, and conducted more than 300 sharing events to promote green principles. The “International Commerce Centre Celsius 26” plan was launched in 2012, maintaining the building’s common areas at 26 degrees C, warmer than typical engineering standards, but still comfortable. Apart from the base building’s energy audit, International Commerce Centre provides free energy audits for its tenants upon request.
By using the helpdesk and computerized building systems as a data-collection and dissemination tool, combined with a high level of direct training, interaction and support of tenants, a “virtuous circle” is formed, in which tenants are motivated to adhere to energy guidelines and to contribute data, which is then reported back to tenants and management.
2014 CTBUH Awards
2020 CTBUH Awards
2011 CTBUH Awards
The Ozone Bar on the 108th floor is the world's highest cocktail lounge in a building at 468.8 m.
The world's highest swimming pool in a building is located on the 108th floor.
20 October 2016 | Hong Kong
Thursday October 20, 2016. Hong Kong, China. Tony Tang of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited presents at the 2016 China Conference Plenary 6: Hong Kong...
20 October 2016 | Hong Kong
Thursday October 20, 2016. Hong Kong, China. Eric Ma of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region presents at the 2016 China Conference Plenary 6: Hong Kong...
19 October 2016 | Hong Kong
Wednesday, October 19, 2016. Gaungzhou, China. Florence Chan of Kohn Pedersen Fox presents at the 2016 China Conference Plenary 4: "Guangzhou Developments" Since the reformation...
19 October 2016 | Hong Kong
One of the keys to attracting buyers and tenants for a contemporary tall building is a succinct marketing strategy and a robust understanding of how...
18 October 2016 | Hong Kong
Andrew Nicholson of CBRE is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Andrew discusses the building management of the Shanghai Tower.
26 October 2015 | Hong Kong
The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is a landmark skyscraper located in Hong Kong. It is the tallest building in Hong Kong with office spaces, fine...
20 March 2020
In the first edition of the 2012 Journal, CTBUH published a Tall Buildings in Numbers study titled Tallest 20 in 2020: Era of the Megatall—The...
20 March 2020
This research paper undertakes a review of the 2012 report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, “Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the...
29 July 2019
Since humans first began constructing tall buildings, history has been cluttered with claims of all manner of “highest” records. In this study, we examine those...
01 July 2018
Since the concept was first introduced in the 1970s, transit-oriented-development (TOD) has greatly expanded in East Asian cities such as Hong Kong. Rail stations are...
17 October 2016
The CTBUH 2016 International Conference is being held in the three cities of the Pearl River Delta, the world’s largest “megacity,” projected to have 120...
17 October 2016
Standing at 484 meters, Sun Hung Kai’s ICC is the tallest building in Hong Kong and currently the 7th tallest in the world. ICC does...
13 October 2016
The Council is pleased to announce the Top Company Rankings for numerous disciplines as derived from the list of projects appearing in 100 of the World’s Tallest Buildings.
20 January 2016
Plans for the 2016 CTBUH Conference are now well underway, beginning with initial meetings of the Conference Steering Committee in all three cities.
20 September 2014
The tour began at Hong Kong’s One Island East, a 298-meter office building. After a day of activity and touring, the tour ended with an evening harbor cruise, on a Chinese junk.
23 September 2012
Delegates from the Congress flew to Hong Kong to visit one of the tallest cities in the world. The second day included a side trip to Shenzhen, including a private tour of KK100.
1 January 2011
Soaring 484 meters (1,588 feet) above Victoria Harbor, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) is the essence of Hong Kong in one destination.
Subscribe below to receive periodic updates from CTBUH on the latest Tall Building and Urban news and CTBUH initiatives, including our monthly newsletter. Fields with a red asterisk (*) next to them are required.
View our privacy policy