HSBC Main Building

HSBC Main Building was designed in 1980 and finished in 1985 by Sir Norman Foster for HSBC's exclusive use. It is considered one of the finest and most innovative bank buildings in the world. The project called upon all Foster's ingenuity. The Bank required a much larger building than the previous one from 1935, but it had to fit on the original site; its interior layout needed to be as flexible as possible to accommodate new technology and the changing needs of a fast-expanding organisation until well into the next century; and it had to be constructed quickly on a very confined site. Foster's solution was to design a building the construction of which would rely on an exceptionally high degree of off-site prefabrication. Components were manufactured all over the world. All these had to fit together perfectly on site, calling for a degree of precision in engineering and assembly never before attempted in the construction of a building (text from www.hsbc.com.hk).