HONG KONG | Taikoo Place Redevelopment | 29-59 fl x 2 | Pro

[hkskyline]

Swire seeks to upgrade Taikoo Place buildings
10 November 2007
South China Morning Post


Locale

Swire Properties has submitted an application to redevelop three industrial buildings in Taikoo Place into two 29 to 59-storey grade A office buildings, creating two million square feet of floor space that will be the next largest new office supply in Hong Kong Island in the coming years.

The redevelopment plan not only requires approval from the Town Planning Board but also the approval of government, which is one of the owners of one of the buildings, Cornwall House.

Early this month, the developer submitted an application list to the Town Planning Board to redevelop Somerset House, Warwick House and Cornwall House, the only three industrial buildings in the Taikoo Place development in Quarry Bay.

The redevelopment project will be divided into two phases to give Swire Properties more time to manoeuvre, as it has been unsuccessful so far in its attempts to buy the eight floors in Cornwall House from the government that house the Government Logistics Department.

The first phase of the project will involve redeveloping Somerset House into a 29 to 47-storey grade A office tower with a total gross floor area of 953,281 square feet.

Cornwall House and Warwick House will be redeveloped in the second phase, in which the developer has proposed to build a 54 to 59-storey office building with a total gross floor area of more than 1.05 million square feet.

The Town Planning Board will discuss the application within the next two months.

A Swire Properties spokeswoman said the developer had not decided the development schedule.

Citic Ka Wah Bank is one of the major tenants in Somerset House and has leased 116,500 square feet in the building since the end of 2005. The spokeswoman of the bank was unavailable for comment yesterday.

South China Morning Post Publishers leases two office floors in the building. The lease was renewed last year.

The 70-storey One Island East at 18 Westlands Road is the latest development at Taikoo Place, and is scheduled for the completion in March next year. About 40 per cent of its lettable area has been leased out with rents ranging between HK$30 and HK$35 per square foot.

[hkskyline]

Planners reject Swire ideas for Taikoo Place
15 December 2007
South China Morning Post

Swire Properties' plan to redevelop three industrial buildings into two skyscrapers in Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, was turned down by the Town Planning Board yesterday as the proposed heights for the buildings far exceed nearby developments.

The developer planned to redevelop Warwick House and Cornwall House into a single tower 270 metres above principal datum (or sea level), and Somerset House into a 246.6-metre tower - 54 per cent higher than developments in the area.

Nearby building heights range between 117 metres and 175 metres.

"It will definitely block the views of existing buildings," said a Town Planning Board spokesman.

He noted that PCCW Tower is 169 metres and Devon House is 117 metres, while Warwick House and Cornwall House rise 160 metres above sea level.

"Somerset House is closer to the waterfront, where buildings should be much lower," said the board's spokesman.

However, in 2004 Swire obtained permission to build the 300-metre grade A office development One Island East, within walking distance of the three industrial buildings.

The planning board spokesman said building height had not been a focus of public concern then.

"The board's decision has to reflect market concerns," he said.

A Swire spokeswoman said: "We regret the board's decision."

The developer had hoped the redevelopment plan would provide more open space for the Island East district, she said.

The plan would integrate three industrial buildings into two office blocks, so the buildings would occupy a smaller site, she said.

But she said there was no immediate decision on whether the company would lodge an appeal.

According to Swire's proposal, the first phase of the project would involve redeveloping Somerset House into a 29- to 47-storey grade A office tower with a total gross floor area of 953,281 sq ft.

Cornwall House and Warwick House would be redeveloped in the second phase into a 54- to 59-storey office building with a total gross floor area of more than 1.05 million sq ft.

[NDPhilly]

which tower is it.

[Genslou]

FINALLY!!!! The old Somerset building is now demolished. The same architect who designed the One Island East and structural engineer is Arup (HK). Took those pics by me. Here's the link: http://genslouskyscraperblogupdates.weebly.com/