The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

«You went to go look round your bank’s HQ… on your holiday?» friends asked me. Why yes I did!
I’ve recently really taken an interest in architecture and tall buildings, so this 1980s Norman Foster glistening hulk of glass and aluminium warranted a visit. At 52 storeys tall, it was designed with good feng shui in mind (a Chinese philosophy of harmonising people with the environment). It has unobstructed views of Victoria Harbour — water is associated with prosperity.
It was apparently the world’s most expensive building on completion, at more than US$ 1 billion.
The ground floor is public space; you can traverse and use its ATMs without entering the bank itself. Take the escalator to the third floor and you can gaze up at the atrium which resembles a modern cathedral and is flooded with natural light.
The two bronze lions ‘guarding’ the main entrance, known as Stitt and Stephen, were designed for the bank’s previous HQ in 1935. Apparently the Japanese used them as target practice during the occupation.