The skyline of Hong Kong is impressive: if you extend the calculation to the entire Chinese administrative region of the city, you get the mind-boggling figure of 7,829 skyscrapers. Dizziness probably caused also by vertigo, given that almost 1,300 of these buildings exceed 100 metres in height.
The beauty of a skyscraper, however, is not measured only by its height or the number of floors. Hong Kong has been able to attract the creativity and talent of star architects from all over the world and represents a rare gem for those who love architecture.
THE MURRAY
Located along the legendary Cotton Tree Drive between the Central Business District and the green oasis of Hong Kong Park, The Murray is a 25-storey hotel with 336 rooms designed by Foster + Partners, a phantasmagorical studio that has created, among others, the Apple store of 5th Avenue in New York, in Kyoto and the one at the Carnegie Library in Washington DC as well as the redesign in London's Trafalgar Square.
The Murray was born from the redevelopment of a government building of the Seventies and is characterised by its white facade, consisting of a grid of square windows, carefully oriented to avoid the harsh light of the tropical sun. Attention to detail that earned it the Energy Efficient Building Award.
JOCKEY CLUB INNOVATION TOWER
It is "only" 71 meters high, with 15 floors, but its supple beauty makes it special, especially if you think it is a university building. The Jockey Club Innovation Tower (JCIT) is home to the Design School of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation.
The tower was designed by Zaha Hadid, a British naturalised Iraqi architect and designer, the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2004 and honoured with the Stirling Award two years in a row, in 2010 and 2011. The JCIT subverts the classic parameters of the skyscraper through the design of a fluid composition, in which the open spaces interact with the interior spaces, creating large areas for meeting and informal interaction. It hosts more than 1,800 people including students and staff.