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SCMP Reporter

FINDING tenants to occupy 1.65 million square feet of office space in Central might seem a daunting task for even the most enterprising leasing agent.

   However, First Pacific Davies (FPD) successfully filled the two office towers at Citibank Plaza.

   With soaring property prices and companies reducing office space, Citibank Plaza's large suites and flexible floor plans were a novelty for many tenants, said Simon Haynes, FPD's executive director.

  'The building's design was one of its selling features and, although it took time for people to get used to the location, the office space was accommodating,' he said.

  'The developer, Shine Hill, agreed to put in a raised-floor system, which was a first for Hong Kong tenants.

  'The only other buildings in Hong Kong with raised floors are owned and occupied by corporations like Hongkong Bank and Hang Seng Bank.'    In the twin-tower complex, 26 floors were linked, offering up to 38,000 sq ft of space, he said.

   Floors in the Citibank Tower offered 19,500 sq ft and average floor space in the Asia Pacific Finance Tower was 18,500 sq ft.

    Above the 23rd floor in each tower, pillars were in strategic places to give tenants more space and flexibility, Mr Haynes said.

   For the first time, many companies could be located on one floor.

  'We found that multi-level operations were no longer in demand and companies eagerly grabbed at the opportunity to have one floor,' he said.

  'In Hong Kong, at the time Citibank Plaza opened for occupancy, the average floor space available to tenants was between 10,000 and 20,000 sq ft.

 'Even though the building offered leases of over 30,000 sq ft, we also catered for small tenants and leased out as little as 11,000 sq ft.

  'Not all tenants wanted to take out an entire floor, so it was easy to partition off floors into smaller office space.'     Raised flooring was an attractive feature, Mr Haynes said.

   Hong Kong tenants with high rents often needed to 'squeeze in' and make better use of working space, which meant regularly moving furniture, he said.

  'Although the raised floors were not the main reason for tenants moving into the building, they did attract many tenants.

  'Ample ducting enables companies to manage all their cabling and wiring needs.

  'Whole departments can be moved and reconnected quickly and inexpensively and the design allows future tenants to put down state-of-the-art cables.'    A hi-tech communications system channelled along an advanced 'backbone' wiring system incorporated optical fibre cables.

  Unlike many other high-rise buildings in the territory that looked attractive from the outside but were not functional, Citibank Plaza offered the best of both worlds, he said.

  Tenants were able to work and recreate in a pleasant environment.

  'Citibank Plaza works well on the inside and tenants have been happy with the layout of the building,' he said.

  'Restaurants and food outlets have been concentrated on the lower levels and are separate from the offices.

  'The lobby is quite impressive and the designer has made the best of natural light, unlike other buildings in the territory where the lift entrances are dark.

  'Lifts have been zoned to give optimum and speedy service to both towers and there are four in each tower.'   The 10-storey atrium, another practical architectural feature, let in natural light, made the foyer look larger and impressed tenants' clients, Mr Haynes said.

   Designing a building for one of the territory's few remaining 'stand-alone' sites was a 'fantastic opportunity' for architect Rocco Yim.

   Although it was structured for visual appearance, Mr Yim was still able to ensure Citibank Plaza was built in generous proportions, Mr Haynes said.

  The building's black, grey, chrome and aluminium panelling made it stand out on Hong Kong's cluttered skyline, giving Citibank status and 'presence' in Hong Kong's banking sector, he said.

  'Until reclamation sites were finished, the plot was the last stand-alone site in the territory and was a prestigious opportunity for a designer,' he said.

    'Some of the world's top architects have come in and left their marks on the Hong Kong skyline and, for Citibank, it gives them the ideal corporate image to rival Bank of China,' he said.

  'It's an attractive building and was built for its external appearance by Rocco, who is a conceptual designer.

  'The design answers the need for a building that is suitable for any corporate image of a multi-national company, in particular Citibank.'     Another major attractive feature that helped to sell space was Citibank's proximity to law courts, shops, trams, buses, the MTRC and the financial district, Mr Haynes said.

  'The building has been designed in a way to make it an open thoroughfare and it is connected to the Bank of China, the Hilton Hotel, Queen's Road Central and has an underground walkway to Pacific Place.' 



Inter-linked floors provide flexibility for large tenants