Central Plaza is a 78-storey building with a height of 374 metres. The skyscraper was built in August 1992 at 18 Harbour Road, in Wanchai district. It is the third tallest in the city; until 1996, the structure was the tallest building in Asia.
Central Plaza is shaped like a cylinder triangular at the base, with a neon clock at the top of the tower that tells the time in 15-minute periods. The top of the skyscraper is crowned by a 102 metre high mast, and here, in the atrium, is the world's tallest church. The tower structure is two-part, consisting of a separate 368-metre office building and a 30.5-metre block podium. The main building contains 57 office floors, five intermediate hall floors for transfer to high-speed lifts and other facilities.
The first level covers an area of approx. 90,000 square metres and features a landscaped garden with a fountain, trees and artificial stone walkways. No retail outlets or commercial spaces are envisaged as this floor contains three pedestrian bridges linking the Mass Transit rail, ferry and bus terminals, the Exhibition Centre and the China Resources building. By leaving these spaces for public use, the developers received 20% more building space as a bonus.
Central Plaza is located in the heart of the commercial district overlooking the harbour. To maximise views of the nearby harbour, the building was designed with one corner turned towards the water. Due to this design, two-thirds of the office space has panoramic windows overlooking the harbour, while the remainder offers beautiful views of the mountains and the surrounding city.
