International Commerce Centre, Skyscraper in West Kowloon, Hong Kong.
The International Commerce Centre rises 484 meters (1588 feet) above Kowloon with 108 floors of glass that taper as they ascend. The continuous glass facade wraps around commercial office floors, a luxury hotel in the upper third, and underground train connections to the international airport.
Construction started in 2002 on a site above Kowloon Station that had been reclaimed from harbour water decades earlier. Completion came in 2010 after eight years of building, with the tower continuing to rise throughout the global financial crisis.
The southern facade displays synchronized evening projections across more than five hectares of glass surface, visible far across the harbour. Locals use the show as an end-of-day signal, while tourists gather along the waterfront promenade to watch the spectacle unfold.
Visitors reach the observation deck on the 100th floor through high-speed lifts that begin at ground level and complete the journey in under a minute. Early morning or late afternoon hours often provide clearer views across the bay and surrounding hills.
Eighty of the lifts serve only specific sections of the tower, while three express cars travel directly to the hotel entrance on the 102nd floor. The express route cabins feature glass ceilings that expose the climb through the central shaft.
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