# HONG KONG | Taikoo Place Redevelopment | 221m | 51 fl | 191m | 46 fl | T/O



## hkskyline

*Swire seeks to upgrade Taikoo Place buildings *
10 November 2007
South China Morning Post









_Locale_

Swire Properties has submitted an application to redevelop three industrial buildings in Taikoo Place into two 29 to 59-storey grade A office buildings, creating two million square feet of floor space that will be the next largest new office supply in Hong Kong Island in the coming years. 

The redevelopment plan not only requires approval from the Town Planning Board but also the approval of government, which is one of the owners of one of the buildings, Cornwall House. 

Early this month, the developer submitted an application list to the Town Planning Board to redevelop Somerset House, Warwick House and Cornwall House, the only three industrial buildings in the Taikoo Place development in Quarry Bay. 

The redevelopment project will be divided into two phases to give Swire Properties more time to manoeuvre, as it has been unsuccessful so far in its attempts to buy the eight floors in Cornwall House from the government that house the Government Logistics Department. 

The first phase of the project will involve redeveloping Somerset House into a 29 to 47-storey grade A office tower with a total gross floor area of 953,281 square feet. 

Cornwall House and Warwick House will be redeveloped in the second phase, in which the developer has proposed to build a 54 to 59-storey office building with a total gross floor area of more than 1.05 million square feet. 

The Town Planning Board will discuss the application within the next two months. 

A Swire Properties spokeswoman said the developer had not decided the development schedule. 

Citic Ka Wah Bank is one of the major tenants in Somerset House and has leased 116,500 square feet in the building since the end of 2005. The spokeswoman of the bank was unavailable for comment yesterday. 

South China Morning Post Publishers leases two office floors in the building. The lease was renewed last year. 

The 70-storey One Island East at 18 Westlands Road is the latest development at Taikoo Place, and is scheduled for the completion in March next year. About 40 per cent of its lettable area has been leased out with rents ranging between HK$30 and HK$35 per square foot.


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## _00_deathscar




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## Jim856796

Will the three office towers be demolished or given a height increase? I'm not sure about the redevelopment seeing that the buildings are so well-designed.


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## _00_deathscar

They'll be demolished I believe. The two buildings in question are old industrial buildings, but as they're maintained by Swire, they actually look new and half decent for an industrial building!


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## hkskyline

*Planners reject Swire ideas for Taikoo Place *
15 December 2007
South China Morning Post

Swire Properties' plan to redevelop three industrial buildings into two skyscrapers in Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, was turned down by the Town Planning Board yesterday as the proposed heights for the buildings far exceed nearby developments. 

The developer planned to redevelop Warwick House and Cornwall House into a single tower 270 metres above principal datum (or sea level), and Somerset House into a 246.6-metre tower - 54 per cent higher than developments in the area. 

Nearby building heights range between 117 metres and 175 metres. 

"It will definitely block the views of existing buildings," said a Town Planning Board spokesman. 

He noted that PCCW Tower is 169 metres and Devon House is 117 metres, while Warwick House and Cornwall House rise 160 metres above sea level. 

"Somerset House is closer to the waterfront, where buildings should be much lower," said the board's spokesman. 

However, in 2004 Swire obtained permission to build the 300-metre grade A office development One Island East, within walking distance of the three industrial buildings. 

The planning board spokesman said building height had not been a focus of public concern then. 

"The board's decision has to reflect market concerns," he said. 

A Swire spokeswoman said: "We regret the board's decision." 

The developer had hoped the redevelopment plan would provide more open space for the Island East district, she said. 

The plan would integrate three industrial buildings into two office blocks, so the buildings would occupy a smaller site, she said. 

But she said there was no immediate decision on whether the company would lodge an appeal. 

According to Swire's proposal, the first phase of the project would involve redeveloping Somerset House into a 29- to 47-storey grade A office tower with a total gross floor area of 953,281 sq ft. 

Cornwall House and Warwick House would be redeveloped in the second phase into a 54- to 59-storey office building with a total gross floor area of more than 1.05 million sq ft.


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## _00_deathscar

Are they off their rocker?


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## mbuildings

good news!!.........and stunning buildings!


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## _00_deathscar

mbuildings said:


> good news!!.........and stunning buildings!


Read the latest post by hkskyline.


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## WonderlandPark

Hong Kong? Worried about too tall? Huh? Please, please, don't turn HK into the NIMBY-USA.


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## hkskyline

Unlikely that ruling will spell the end of this project. It'll probably come back very soon with reduced height. Swire wants to develop the area into a new alternative commercial hub, so those industrial buildings are likely going to go for good.


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## [email protected]

Nimbyism in Hong Kong...now that's a first.

This is really a bad decision, because that district would have a lot of potential for future developments.


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## _00_deathscar

The part I don't get:



> Swire Properties' plan to redevelop three industrial buildings into two skyscrapers in Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, was turned down by the Town Planning Board yesterday as the proposed heights for the buildings far exceed nearby developments.


But right now the OIE sticks out like a sore thumb! Two 200m+ buildings will help to balance it, or are they blind and do not see that OIE also "far exceeds nearby development heights"?

On the other hand, converting two of the towers to heights of 270 and 230 metres would mean that you achieve a nice balance of:

OIE: 300m
Two towers: 250-ish m
Others: 140-160m.

Bunch of fucking plonkers.


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## Jim856796

hkskyline said:


>


A height increase and renovations for these four short buildings would have sufficed.


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## _00_deathscar

Here is what the original proposal would have looked like. 










#1, OIE, is well under way and nearly complete [scheduled to OPEN in March 2008] of course.

#2 would be 270m.

#3 would be 247m.


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## hkskyline

*More public room for Taikoo *
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, April 02, 2008

A plan to redevelop Taikoo Place will see an extra 6,400 square meters of open public space, Swire Group director and general manager Guy Bradley said yesterday.

The major facelift for the commercial hub will cost Swire Properties HK$6 billion.

"The enhancements will lower building height, improve ventilation and create more open space without a major impact on traffic," Bradley said.

The plan calls for Cornwall House to be replaced with a privately-owned public plaza under a pedestrian bridge. Also planned are fountains, gardens, sculptures and seating.

Somerset House and Warwick House will give way to two terraced-height buildings occupying a smaller area to allow for a garden to the west of Warwick House.

The proposal will also allow for bigger pedestrian bridges over the public plaza, adjacent offices and residential towers.

Pending approval by the Town Planning Board, Swire hopes to begin construction by early 2013, but ownership issues over seven floors owned by the government in Cornwall House will have to be resolved.

Bradley said that the state-of-the-art grade A office space would fetch HK$40 per square foot.

Spot rents for the existing three industrial buildings in Taikoo Place are between HK$23 and HK$25 per square foot, according to Savills.

Public use of privatized public space became a hot topic with the disclosure that the Times Square piazza was in fact public space.

But overzealous security guards had previously policed the plaza and enforced strict no-sitting rules among other by-laws banning the distribution of pamphlets and eating or drinking. Signs that adorned the plaza's flowerbeds in the past with the message "no sitting" have been replaced with notices reading "love the plants."

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said during a radio show yesterday that she had sent a letter to the owner, Wharf Holdings, requesting records on the past usage of the public space for commercial and exhibition purposes before deciding whether or not the company had violated its deed of dedication.

Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung told a special meeting of the Legislative Council's Finance Committee his department will also be studying whether there has been a breach of contract terms, but did not mention when the results would be made available.

In the Times Square deed of dedication, the government gave the developer extra space on condition the ground-floor piazza be designated as public space.

Separately, the Buildings Department revealed that, of 79 privatized public spaces in the territory, only Times Square was required to provide public usage of its piazza.


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## hkskyline

*Traffic concerns over new tower in Taikoo Shing Residents fear more air pollution * 
21 April 2008
South China Morning Post

Residents and workers in Taikoo Shing are bracing for more traffic and increased pollution - from a new office tower in the area.

The 70-storey One Island East, which opened on April 1, will bring an average of 650 more vehicles an hour into the area when most of the tenants move in this summer, according to estimates by developer Swire Properties.

District councillors and residents fear that the traffic - three times more than before the Quarry Bay landmark was developed - will clog the narrow streets, causing more noise and dust.

The company's head of public affairs, Miranda Szeto, admitted the tower - already 87 per cent leased - would attract more cars and pedestrians to the area. But the impact would be much less than the figures suggested, she said.

"The extra traffic will be mostly private vehicles, not trucks or cargo vans as it used to be," she said, referring to traffic flow at the two industrial buildings that were demolished to make way for the tower. "And the extra cars will be diverted among various roads within the area {hellip} it's not like they will all jam into one street at a particular moment."

Westlands Road, which leads to the tower, has already been changed to more clearly direct drivers and allow smoother traffic flow.

But Eastern District councillor Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, a long-time resident in the area, and his neighbours were worried much of the increased traffic would come from the Island Eastern Corridor through Taikoo Wan Road, bringing more noise and dust.

"Swire said vehicles would be encouraged to drive to the corridor through Hoi Tai Street on the harbourfront, but drivers tend to pick the shortest route to their destinations, and that is Taikoo Wan Road."

Meanwhile, people who drive to work at Taikoo Place were worried that finding a parking space would become more difficult. As One Island East does not have its own car park, drivers would have to use the car parks under Taikoo Place.

But Ms Szeto said the number of parking spaces was adequate. Figures showed that of the 1,300 spaces available, only about 70 per cent were used.

The Transport Department said Swire had not provided figures on the traffic implications of the new office tower, but a government engineer said roads in the district should be able to cope for the next five years.

One Island East, however, is the first of a number of developments expected to add to the congestion in the next few years. The 350-room Cityplaza Hotel on Taikoo Shing Road is expected to open next year.

Swire is also seeking to redevelop three office blocks at Taikoo Place - Somerset, Cornwall and Warwick houses - into two skyscrapers.


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## Jim856796

hkskyline said:


> _Locale_


I don't know which buildings in this photo are Somerset House, Cornwall House, and Warwick House. I hope they demolish the white building in the middle because that looks boring.


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## EricIsHim

Jim856796 said:


> I don't know which buildings in this photo are Somerset House, Cornwall House, and Warwick House. I hope they demolish the white building in the middle because that looks boring.


The white building you are talking about is Somerset House. Cornwall isn't shown in the photo and sits right behind Somerset. These are the two buildings will be torn down in the proposal here.

Warwick sits behind PCCW from this angle, don't think there is any plan to redevelop that building yet.


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## Jim856796

I also don't know the names of the greenish-blue, blue, and gold builsings. Can those buildings be demolished, too?


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## daba373

It's good to know that there will be re-developments to the area


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## hkskyline

*Swire office tower draws major tenants*
The Standard _Excerpt_
2 Feb 2018 

Swire Properties (1972) said more than half of the premises at One Taikoo Place, its newest triple Grade-A office tower in Quarry Bay, has already been pre-leased by major multinational corporations.

One Taikoo Place is a core component of Swire Properties' HK$15 billion Taikoo Place redevelopment project involving the area's further transformation into one of the city's major commercial hubs.

Swire said One Taikoo Place, which provides 1 million square feet of office premises, will have two anchor tenants:

Baker McKenzie, one of the world's largest international law firms, and Facebook, the world's best-known social network.

Currently based in Central, Baker McKenzie will relocate its entire operations in Hong Kong to One Taikoo Place, taking up five floors with a total area of 100,000 sq ft.

Facebook, which currently leases space at One Island East in Taikoo Place, will move to One Taikoo Place and take up 100,000 sq ft of office premises.

Other multinational companies from a wide range of sectors have also chosen One Taikoo Place to house their Hong Kong offices.

Among the most prominent tenants is communications conglomerate Interpublic Group, which includes global advertising networks CMG, FCB, Mediabrands, McCann and MullenLowe Group.

Other multinationals are insurance firm MetLife Asia Ltd and international law firm Simmons & Simmons.

Said Swire Properties director Don Taylor: "The growing number of high-profile corporations that have chosen to relocate from the city's traditional central business district and make this area their home is an endorsement of Taikoo Place as a location and a testament to its increasing status as one of the most desirable business addresses in the city."


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## (the)

Also worth noting that the project is officially topped out:

http://www.building.com.hk/products/view.asp?id=1559

Also a couple of renders on that article of the final product (I don't believe anyone has shared yet):


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## spicytimothy

renderings finally! Looks boring but not too bad!


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## hkskyline

Mar 16, 2018 
*EY calls Quarry Bay its new home*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

You don’t count as part of the Big Four unless you are in the core business district, right?

Wrong! 

Just take a look at Ernst & Young, the accounting and consulting giant that is set to have a new address in Hong Kong this year. 

The company, which ranks No.3 in its industry by revenue, will move out of its current location in Admiralty and establish a base in Quarry Bay. 

Thanks to escalating office rents in the Central district, EY joins a growing number of multinational firms that have sought cheaper property alternatives in Hong Kong.

The audit titan, operating presently from Citic Tower in the city’s main financial hub, will move to Swire’s redeveloped One Taikoo Place office tower that will be ready by this autumn.

According to Apple Daily, EY will take up eight floors in the building, occupying 160,000 square feet of space, for about HK$9.6 million per year. The lease cost is based on an estimate of HK$60 per square foot.

That compares with the firm’s current office space of 150,000 square feet in Citic Tower and the annual rent of HK$13.5 million.

In other words, EY will be saving 30 percent with the new facility while getting a bigger office.

Of course, Quarry Bay can’t be seen in the same light as Admiralty, as the former is some distance away from the city center.

Top executives as well as employees living on the other side of Hong Kong Island and elsewhere may find themselves spending more time on commute. However, a new Wanchai highway will mitigate that factor.

All in all, one can understand why EY has opted to move. Apart from cost savings, there are other forces at play that would justify the decision. 

For one, the audit business in the city has undergone an evolution in recent years. Gone are the days when accountants needed to station themselves in Central. That is because work practices have changed due to new technologies, and also because top clients are no longer concentrated in the traditional financial hub.

With the expanding scope of business, accountants are running around for audit work for listed companies which are coming mainly from mainland China nowadays, rather than Hong Kong.

Another factor driving the interest in new office locations is the need for more space for employees for activities beside work.

The young workers nowadays would rather have bigger spaces for social gatherings and intra-office leisure activities rather than a room with breathtaking views of the skyline and Victoria Harbour.


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## _00_deathscar

Seen the area from across the harbour, and also am in Tai Koo a lot myself - I think it will end up quite nice. Nothing too exciting, but it complements what's already there very well, and adds to it with its height.


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## hkskyline

Kwun Tong Promenade by James Wong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Lei Yue Mun by Joachim Wuhrer, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

8/1


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## hkskyline

Two Taikoo Place

IMG_20180620_093307 by Adam Field, on Flickr


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## miguelmm

Is there any render of the second phase of the redevelopment?


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## miguelmm

Found this looking for some renders, architects Wong & Ouyang (Hong Kong): https://www.eocengineers.com/en/projects/two-taikoo-place-371











Credits to *Eckersley O'Callaghan*


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## hkskyline

Cloudy Day by Joachim Wuhrer, on Flickr


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## NegaSado

Two Taikoo Place, today.


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## hkskyline

Special scene of cloudy day by KC Woo, on Flickr


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## NegaSado

They are working every day, but progress on the tower seems slow.


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## LivinAWestLife

Some pictures taken days ago, including from the nearby PCCW Tower:


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## NegaSado




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## hkskyline

So OIE is going to be disconnected from the bridge network for a while longer.


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## NegaSado




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## NegaSado




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## NegaSado




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## hkskyline

This is the building that caused the bridge to OIE to be demolished?


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## NegaSado

hkskyline said:


> This is the building that caused the bridge to OIE to be demolished?


I'm not sure, I've only been living in the area for two years now and Two Taikoo Place has been under construction ever since then. However, since there at present is no way to use the indoor walking bridges to get to OIE, which appears completely isolated from the rest of the complex, I can only assume that if there ever was such a connection it will be restored upon the completion of Two Taikoo Place.


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## 2mchris

Following the renders, the new building Taikoo Place Two will cover less ground than the old buildings. It will replace former Warwick House and Cornwall House. Most of the Cornwall House area will be the future Taikoo Square. So the bridge to OIE was not demolished completely (the part over the street (Westlands Rd.) still exist. It will be connected to a new bridge construction in a form of a crescent moon, spanning new Taikoo Square and connecting OIE; Taikoo Place One, Taikoo Place Two, PCCW Tower and Licoln House as a circle. 

I found these details in the annual report (2016) from Swire Properties.


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## NegaSado

Thanks for clearing that up! 

From today:









If you look closely, you can see the two cranes right in front of One Taikoo Place.


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## NegaSado




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## NegaSado

Taken today:


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## NegaSado

Today:


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## NegaSado

From Oct 22:









From Oct 26:









From today:


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## NegaSado

From a few days ago:


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## NegaSado

From yesterday:


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## NegaSado

Today:


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## hkskyline

1/19


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## hkskyline

1/31

小馬山 by C.H Lam Photography, on Flickr


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## Cyq98

Those buildings with white stripes should also be redeveloped, design looks way too old.


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## NegaSado

March 7:









March 13:


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## hkskyline

3/23


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## NegaSado

Today:


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## NegaSado

Yesterday:


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## hkskyline

*Swiss bank Julius Baer leases office space in Swire’s Two Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, in biggest ‘decentralisation deal’ since 2018 *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 5, 2021

Swiss private bank Julius Baer will move into Swire Properties’ new 41-floor skyscraper, Two Taikoo Place in Quarry Bay, in what Colliers described as the largest “decentralisation deal” in more than two years in Hong Kong.

The bank, currently based in Central, said it has leased four floors of the office building, which is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022.

Swire said it has successfully secured its first anchor tenant, which is from the finance sector and will take up four floors covering 100,000 square feet of the new building, but did not provide further information. The company would not say whether it was referring to Julius Baer.

More : Swiss bank leases office space in Quarry Bay as decentralisation gathers pace


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## hkskyline

8/22

Lei Yue Mun-Hong Kong by Leo Lam, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

8/23


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## hkskyline

8/26


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## hkskyline

Peeking out next to OIE.

8/30


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## hkskyline

Getting more and more visible ...

9/4

Kolwoon Bay by C.H Lam Photography, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

9/4


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## SanMiguel

Has it topped out already?


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## hkskyline

SanMiguel said:


> Has it topped out already?


It should end up just a little shorter than the building behind right.


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## SanMiguel

hkskyline said:


> It should end up just a little shorter than the building behind right.


Dang, for a second I thought u meant, almost as tall as One Island East, which would've been cool. But u added that picture, so I guess u mean it will only be almost as tall as One Taikoo Place 😢


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## hkskyline

SanMiguel said:


> Dang, for a second I thought u meant, almost as tall as One Island East, which would've been cool. But u added that picture, so I guess u mean it will only be almost as tall as One Taikoo Place 😢


Nah ... they won't build anything taller than OIE.


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## NegaSado

Today:


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## Zaz965

I like rounded edges


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## hkskyline

11/5

People in +852 by flipNfill Ginger, on Flickr


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## NegaSado

Yesterday:









Today:


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## NegaSado

Yesterday:









Today:


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## hkskyline

12/10


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## hkskyline

12/23


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## hkskyline

12/24


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## hkskyline

1/7


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## hkskyline

1/8


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## NegaSado

Last Friday:


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## thestealthyartist

221 meters? They upped the height?


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## hkskyline

3/5


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## hkskyline

3/15


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## NegaSado

Today:


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## hkskyline

3/30


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## Car L

100604c_006-220410_213 by Genuine007, on Flickr
*__*
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


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## hkskyline

4/30


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## hkskyline

6/1


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## hkskyline

6/15


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## hkskyline

7/13

Xiaomi 12S ultra by kked Tai, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

7/24


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## 2mchris

That looks really good. The skyscraper itself, but as well the ongoing construction of the flybridges between the buildings. I am curious to the announced park and looking forward to visit Taikoo Place again, when I'll be next time in HKG.


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## hkskyline

10/22


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## hkskyline

11/12


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## Zaz965

these round edges are gorgeous


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## hkskyline

11/27

DSC04003 by nickson555_2.0, on Flickr


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