Skyscraper At World's Most Expensive Plot Nears Completion
New photographs reveal the sinuous glass facade of The Henderson office building by Zaha Hadid Architects as it takes shape in Hong Kong's Central Business District. The 36-storey skyscraper is nearing completion and is already being hailed as a new landmark for the city, occupying a prime spot next to Chater Garden alongside IM Pei's Bank of China Tower and the HSBC building by Foster + Partners. The site at 2 Murray Road was reportedly the world's most expensive plot when it was purchased by developer Henderson Land in 2017, coming in at £764,000 per square metre. Although construction of The Henderson has overshot its intended 2023 completion date, recent photographs reveal most of its curved glass facade panels are now in place. The building's organic form was informed by the buds of the Hong Kong orchid, which graces the city's flag, offering a marked contrast with the more traditional skyscrapers nearby. Its curvaceous volumes combine to create an undulating facade that mimics overlapping flower petals, clad in more than 4,000 panels of double-laminated glass that between them have 1,000 different curvatures. The body of the building is elevated above the ground and will be connected to Hong Kong's network of raised pedestrian walkways, leading straight into two different Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations and the leafy Chater Garden.
Tags : sinuous glass facade Mass Transit Railway Hong Kong orchid Zaha Hadid Architects