Taikoo Place

Taikoo Place is a large commercial and business district in Quarry Bay on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island. Developed and managed by Swire Properties, it combines Grade A office buildings with retail, hospitality, serviced residences, private-club facilities, public-realm improvements, cultural programming and transport connections. The district is part of the broader Taikoo development area, which also includes Cityplaza, EAST Hong Kong and nearby parks and waterfront-oriented open spaces. The identity of Taikoo Place is closely connected with the industrial history of eastern Hong Kong Island. The surrounding area developed from earlier industrial and residential uses associated with Taikoo Sugar Refinery and the later Taikoo Dockyard. From the 1980s onward, former industrial sites and older buildings were progressively redeveloped into a modern commercial environment. This transition helped turn Quarry Bay into an important secondary business location, complementing the traditional Central business district. The redevelopment also contributed to wider urban change and gentrification in the surrounding neighbourhood. The complex contains a substantial collection of office towers, including One Island East, FWD Tower, Dorset House, Cambridge House, Lincoln House, PCCW Tower, Oxford House, Westlands Centre and Berkshire House. One Island East, completed in 2008, is a prominent 69-storey Grade A office tower. It accommodates companies from sectors including finance, insurance, professional services, technology, telecommunications, media, design, consumer products and trading. Taikoo Place has consequently become particularly associated with advertising, information technology, finance and multinational corporate tenants. PCCW Tower is linked to the Hong Kong headquarters of telecommunications company PCCW, while the wider district has hosted offices for numerous international and regional businesses. A major later phase of the redevelopment introduced One Taikoo Place, completed in 2018. The tower provides high-grade office accommodation, large floor plates, extensive glazing and views toward Victoria Harbour. Its design and building systems were developed with an emphasis on energy performance, digital building management and green-building certification. The next phase involved Two Taikoo Place and an enlarged public realm including Taikoo Square and landscaped gardens. The overall programme was presented as a long-term transformation of the district rather than simply the construction of individual office towers. Taikoo Place also provides amenities intended to support a mixed office and lifestyle environment. These include shops, restaurants, event spaces, art and design activities, landscaped areas, connections to Taikoo Park and proximity to Cityplaza and EAST Hong Kong. Butterfield's, a private members' club associated with the Peninsula Group, has been one of the district's notable hospitality and business amenities. ArtisTree and other event facilities have supported exhibitions, forums and cultural or creative-industry programmes. The district is served by the MTR Island line through nearby Quarry Bay and Tai Koo stations, as well as trams, buses, minibuses and road links to the Island Eastern Corridor and Eastern Harbour Crossing. Its combination of transport accessibility, modern office stock, amenities and public-space investment has made Taikoo Place a prominent Hong Kong workplace destination. Its present role is that of a large, continuously managed commercial neighbourhood rather than a single building or conventional shopping-centre brand.

Taikoo Place emerged from the long industrial and commercial evolution of Quarry Bay. The area was historically associated with Taikoo Sugar Refinery and subsequently with Taikoo Dockyard, activities that shaped the eastern Hong Kong Island waterfront and its surrounding urban fabric. As industrial operations changed and land uses evolved, older industrial premises and mixed residential-industrial areas became candidates for comprehensive redevelopment. Swire Properties progressively redeveloped the area from the 1980s onward. The resulting district combined office towers with retail, hospitality, parking, clubs and other supporting uses. Rather than forming a single enclosed complex, Taikoo Place developed as a network of buildings and streets around King's Road, Tong Chong Street and Westlands Road. The redevelopment helped establish Quarry Bay as a significant office location outside Central and attracted professional-services firms, media companies, advertising agencies, technology businesses, financial institutions and multinational corporations. Several office buildings were completed during the 1990s and late 1990s, including Devon House, later renamed FWD Tower; Dorset House; Cambridge House; PCCW Tower; Lincoln House; Oxford House; and Berkshire House. These buildings replaced or incorporated earlier structures and provided large amounts of Grade A office accommodation. Their tenants have included companies from telecommunications, banking, insurance, consumer goods, media, advertising, design and professional services. Butterfield's at Dorset House added a private-club and hospitality dimension to the business district. One Island East, completed in 2008, became one of the area's most prominent landmarks. Its 69-storey tower expanded the district's premium office offering and reinforced Taikoo Place's position as a major corporate cluster. The building attracted tenants across finance, insurance, accounting, law, consulting, technology, design, retail and other sectors. Swire Properties later announced a substantial multi-stage redevelopment programme involving the replacement or transformation of older buildings, new office towers, landscaped public areas and improved pedestrian connections. One Taikoo Place was completed in September 2018 as the first major tower in this later phase. It introduced a large Grade A office building designed with extensive natural light, high sustainability aspirations and digitally enabled building operations. The subsequent phase included Two Taikoo Place, Taikoo Square, Taikoo Garden and an elevated walkway system intended to make movement through the district easier and improve its public realm. The district's transformation has not been limited to office construction. ArtisTree and other spaces have hosted exhibitions, forums and creative-industry events, while landscaped areas and links to nearby parks have supported a more mixed workplace environment. Energy-saving measures described for the development include tri-generation, chilled-water and cooling-efficiency systems, rooftop planting and construction-waste diversion. Taikoo Place is also connected to the wider Taikoo commercial ecosystem, including Cityplaza and EAST Hong Kong. By the present day, Taikoo Place functions as a managed commercial neighbourhood with a large concentration of modern offices, supporting amenities and public spaces. Its history reflects Hong Kong's shift from industrial waterfront uses toward high-value commercial, service-sector and mixed-use development, while retaining a visible connection to the Taikoo area's industrial origins.

• 2021

  Planned completion of the next redevelopment phase

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment programme described for Two Taikoo Place, Taikoo Square, Taikoo Garden and associated pedestrian improvements targeted completion around 2021.

• 2018

  One Taikoo Place is completed

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  One Taikoo Place is completed as the first major tower in a later redevelopment phase, adding high-specification office space and new sustainability and digital-building features.

• 2016

  Blueprint Labs is introduced

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  A start-up-oriented forum called Blueprint Labs is introduced as part of Taikoo Place's business and innovation programming.

• 2015

  Taikoo Place Apartments opens

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Taikoo Place Apartments opens on Tong Chong Street with serviced residential units and ground-floor lifestyle facilities.

• 2008

  One Island East is completed

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The 69-storey One Island East expands Taikoo Place's premium office supply and becomes a major landmark in Quarry Bay.

• 1999

  Oxford House is completed

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Oxford House, formerly associated with the Toppan Building, becomes another Grade A office component of Taikoo Place.

• 1998

  Lincoln House and Berkshire House are added

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Further office capacity is delivered through Lincoln House and Berkshire House.

• 1994

  Dorset House is completed

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Dorset House joins the office portfolio and accommodates Butterfield's private members club together with corporate tenants.

• 1993

  Devon House opens

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Devon House is completed as a Grade A office building in Quarry Bay; it is later renamed FWD Tower.

• 1980

  Redevelopment begins

  [1]Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The Taikoo Place area begins its long transformation from an industrial and residential-industrial district into a modern commercial environment.

A premium, integrated business and lifestyle district focused on Grade A offices, corporate services, connectivity, amenities, sustainability and public-realm quality.

• Grade A office tower · 2008

  One Island East

  A 69-storey Grade A office tower at 18 Westlands Road, completed in 2008. One Island East is one of Taikoo Place's principal corporate buildings, with tenants drawn from finance, insurance, professional services, technology, design, telecommunications and other business sectors. Its scale and position make it a defining element of the Quarry Bay skyline and of the district's office-led identity.

• Grade A office tower · 2018

  One Taikoo Place

  Completed in 2018, One Taikoo Place is a major redevelopment-phase office tower with 48 storeys, including 41 office floors. The building was designed with large floor plates, extensive curtain-wall glazing and views toward Victoria Harbour. Its development incorporated green-building targets and digital operational systems, including an AI- and data-oriented building-management platform described in the reference material.

• Grade A office development

  Two Taikoo Place

  Two Taikoo Place forms part of the later redevelopment programme for older Taikoo Place sites. The scheme was planned together with new landscaped public areas, including Taikoo Square and Taikoo Garden, and an elevated pedestrian walkway intended to improve connections within the district.

• Grade A office tower · 1993

  FWD Tower

  FWD Tower, formerly Devon House, is a 29-storey office building at King's Road in Quarry Bay. It accommodates corporate and professional tenants and represents part of the earlier generation of Taikoo Place office development.

• Grade A office and club facility · 1994

  Dorset House

  Completed in 1994, Dorset House provides substantial office accommodation and has hosted tenants from media, consumer, property and professional-services sectors. It is also associated with Butterfield's, a private members club offering dining, meeting, events, fitness and related hospitality facilities.

• Serviced residences · 2015

  Taikoo Place Apartments

  Taikoo Place Apartments opened on Tong Chong Street in 2015 as a serviced-residential component of the district. The accommodation was described as including studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse formats, supported by ground-floor lifestyle and dining facilities.

• Grade A office building · 1999

  Oxford House

  Oxford House, formerly the Toppan Building, is a Grade A office building completed in 1999. Its tenant mix has included publishing, advertising, luxury goods, technology, professional services and media companies.

• Office tower · 1994

  PCCW Tower

  PCCW Tower is a 1990s office building associated with the Hong Kong headquarters of telecommunications company PCCW. It has also hosted international technology, media, advertising and financial-service tenants.

• 2016Blueprint Labs

  Hong Kong

  A start-up and innovation forum introduced at Taikoo Place, reflecting the district's effort to engage technology and creative businesses beyond its role as an office-leasing destination.

  Outcome. The reference material records the programme's introduction but does not provide a measured commercial outcome.

  Source
• Taikoo Place arts and community programming

  Hong Kong

  Taikoo Place has supported exhibitions, design presentations, forums and community-oriented activities through spaces such as ArtisTree and related event venues. The reference material also mentions engagement with arts groups, non-governmental organisations and local creative communities.

  Outcome. The available material describes ongoing programming but does not report a single quantified outcome.

  Source

• 2018

  Delivery of One Taikoo PlaceGeneration change

  Background

  Swire Properties pursued a multi-stage redevelopment of older Taikoo Place sites to increase Grade A office capacity and improve the district's public realm.

  Action taken

  One Taikoo Place was completed as the first of two major new office towers, with green-building objectives, extensive glazing and digitally supported building operations.

  Aftermath

  The project marked a new phase in Taikoo Place's transformation from a collection of older office and industrial-era buildings into an integrated premium business district.

  Source

• Expansion of public realm and pedestrian connectionsStrategy

  Background

  The continuing redevelopment was intended to make Taikoo Place more than a conventional office cluster by adding open space, gardens and improved movement between buildings.

  Action taken

  The programme included Taikoo Square, Taikoo Garden, additional landscaped areas and an elevated walkway system.

  Aftermath

  These elements reinforced the district's positioning as a mixed business, lifestyle and cultural environment, although the available reference does not provide a separate post-completion assessment.

  Source

• Adoption of sustainability and energy-efficiency measuresStrategy

  Background

  Large-scale office development created a need to reduce energy use, cooling demand and construction waste across the district.

  Action taken

  Measures described for Taikoo Place include tri-generation, adsorption-chiller or chilled-water efficiency initiatives, rooftop planting and diversion of demolition waste from landfills.

  Aftermath

  The measures supported the district's green-building positioning. The reference material does not establish a complete independently verified performance record.

  Source

1. 1Taikoo Placeen.wikipedia.org