Rising from a pivotal site adjacent to Chater Garden in Hong Kong’s central business district, the 36-story AIA Central (formerly AIG Tower) is a prominent fixture on the city skyline. The building completes one of the most significant public open spaces in the heart of Hong Kong and contributes to the urban coherence of pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems. Highly visible from Victoria Harbor, the building marks AIG’s strong presence in the city and region.

The design employs two overlapping squares in plan that form the architectural equivalent of the yin-yang concept found in Chinese philosophy. This notion of interlocked forms is also expressed in the building’s massing: The tower takes on a soaring form toward the sea, while a lower base reconciles the grand scale of the tower with neighboring structures. The resulting iconic image, as seen from the harbor, refers to traditional Chinese sailboats plying the busy waterway.

A ground-floor lobby leads to a piano nobile concourse, which wraps around the building and connects to a public walkway system through bridges. From the concourse, escalators lead up to a sky lobby, where a double-height space offers spectacular views of Chater Garden and Victoria Peak in the distance.