Bank of China Tower

Bank of China Tower, triangular glass skyscraper in Hong Kong, completed in 1989. It houses the Hong Kong headquarters of the Beijing-based central Bank of China, together with other tenants.

Rising 1,205 feet (367 metres), the skyscraper was for a few years the tallest building in the world outside the United States. Designed by the American architect I.M. Pei, the tower has a distinctive three-dimensional triangular shape (quadrilateral at the bottom and trilateral at the top), which, according to Pei, transfers “all vertical stress to the four corners of the building, making it very stable and wind resistant” (an important consideration in typhoon-threatened Hong Kong). The interior floors are irregular, ending in points and angles, and are completely sided by windows, with multiple views. The 70-story building is topped by twin poles, though these are a purely decorative flourish.