Bitexco Financial Tower
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Bitexco Financial Tower ( vi, Tháp Tài chính Bitexco) is a
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
in
Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
, Vietnam. At its completion in 2010, it became the tallest building in Vietnam and kept this status until January 2011, when it was surpassed by
Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower AON Hanoi Landmark Tower (or AON Landmark 72) is a mixed-use supertall skyscraper in Pham Hung road, Nam Từ Liêm district, Hanoi, Vietnam. The complex consists of one 72-story mixed-use tower with a height of 350 m and two 48-story hotel twin ...
. With 68 floors above ground and three basements, the building has a height of , making it the second tallest building in the city, fourth tallest in Vietnam, and the 412th tallest in the world, as of May 2022. The tower is owned by Bitexco Group, a Vietnamese multi-industry corporation, with a focus on real estate development. The building also houses the Ho Chi Minh City office of Bitexco Group, while its headquarters are in
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
. The tower was designed by
Carlos Zapata Carlos Zapata (born 1961 in Rubio, Venezuela) is an American architect, with his office headquartered in New York City. Zapata is known for his work on the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, the Cooper Square Hotel (now the Standard E ...
, Design Principal and Founder of Carlos Zapata Studio, with French company AREP as architect of record. Designer Zapata, who was born in
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
but is based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, drew inspiration for this skyscraper's unique shape from Vietnam's national flower, the Lotus. The tower was officially inaugurated on 31 October 2010. In 2013, CNN.com named the Bitexco Financial Tower one of the 25 Great Skyscraper Icons of Construction. And in 2015, Thrillist.com named the Bitexco Financial Tower the #2 Coolest Skyscraper in the World.


History

The
groundbreaking ceremony Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...
was held in September 2005. Two years later, in June 2007, construction of the tower started. The tower topped out in mid-2010 and had its inauguration ceremony on 31 October 2010.


Reception

Amongst other international awards and recognitions, on 30 November 2011, Bitexco Financial Tower received the
Excellence in structure engineering awards 2011
in the "International structure over $100 million" category. NCSEA.


Facilities

Bitexco Financial Tower is a mixed use project which includes office, retail, F&B and entertainment space. The tower has around 38,000 square metres of office space, from 7th to 65th floors, and a five-storey retail podium, Icon68, including food court and seven screen multiplex cinema with around 10,000 square metres from Ground to 4th Floors. At Floor 49, at height around 178 metres, there is an observation deck open to the public. Vietnam's first non-rooftop
helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
is on the 52nd floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. The helipad extends 22 meters out from the main structure. It is strong enough to carry a helicopter up to 3 tons of weight.


Key design features

* Grand Atrium Lobby * Wall & Façade system The glass from
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
was purchased and shipped to China for manufacturing. Once in China the low iron heat strengthened glass was cut into 6,000 individual panels. Each panel is double glazed with the outside layer being 8 mm thick and internal air space of 12 mm and an internal panel of 8 mm. Finally the glass was shipped to Ho Chi Minh City and the panels were installed as the building grew higher. Each of the 6,000 sleek glass panels enveloping the Bitexco Financial Tower is individually cut to unique specifications because each floor is unique, giving the building its eye-catching shape. * Helipad Located on the southern side of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the
helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
cantilevers from the 52nd floor and resembles a blossoming lotus bud. Constructed from more than 250 tons of structural steel and requiring 4,000 ultra-strong bolts to hold it together, the helipad took almost a year to plan, build and coordinate before it could be hoisted to its place at height around 191 meters. Its installation alone took about two months. Most of the materials used to construct the helipad were purchased from Europe and South Korea and the manufacturing took place in Bu Gang, a city near Seoul. Once the fabrication of the helipad was completed, it was shipped to Vietnam. To ensure proper assembly, the entire helipad was pre-assembled on the ground of a factory in Đồng Nai Province in Vietnam – a process that took about three weeks. When the helipad was ready to be lifted into place, the roads surrounding the southern face of the Bitexco Financial Tower were closed for safety reasons and the helipad was transported into the centre of District 1. The massive yet delicate operation of lifting the helipad began. It was lifted in parts and attached to the 52nd storey of the Bitexco Financial Tower, 191 meters above Ho Chi Minh City.
* Vertical Transportation Bitexco Financial Tower operates
Otis Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media ** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl'' * Otis (The Walking Dead), Otis (''The Walking Dead' ...
double-deck elevator A double-deck elevator or double-deck lift is an elevator where one cab is stacked on top of another. This allows passengers on two consecutive floors to be able to use the elevator simultaneously, significantly increasing the passenger capaci ...
s with specialised Compass System which is the most modern and advanced elevator system in Vietnam. With speed up to 7 meters per second, it was the fastest lift system in South East Asia at the time of installation. There are 3 separate elevator zones servicing the tower with 14 passenger and 2 service lifts, plus further lifts to serve the retail and parking areas. * Saigon Skydeck on 49th floor The Saigon Skydeck
soft opened A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely ...
for visitors from overseas and domestically on 1 January 2011, officially opening in July that same year. The observation deck offers 360-degree panoramic views of Ho Chi Minh City, guest facilities and a gift shop. Saigon Skydeck opens daily and a ticket costs around $10.


Floor plan

The following is the breakdown of floors.


Office demand in Ho Chi Minh City

Due to the rapid economic growth of
Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
in particular and dynamic economic development of Vietnam in general, the construction of office buildings in Ho Chi Minh City has been rapid. Bitexco Financial Tower has fulfilled the need for international standard office space in this city. The unit price of prime grade offices now in Saigon can be up to US$40/metre square/per month or more, for the most demanded space. Since the opening up and growth of the Vietnamese economy, both foreign and domestic enterprises have invested significantly in the construction of high-rise buildings in Vietnam. Before 1995, Saigon city centre featured generally
French Colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture ...
and other rather basic low-lying buildings. Since then, the city has seen a dramatic increase in high-rise buildings as the country has often maintained an average 8–8.5% annual
GDP growth Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...
rate. Saigon, the country's economic hub, has achieved 12% GDP growth rate, at some times, although this has been dampened in recent years by the general world recession but not as greatly as has been felt in other parts of the world.


HCMC Skyrun

Since 2011, Bitexco Financial Tower has hosted the annual HCMC Skyrun, Vietnam's longest running stair climbing race. The race starts on the ground floor and finishes at the helipad on the 52nd floor. In 2011, Thomas Dold of Germany ran up in a time of 4 minutes 51 seconds, setting the men's course record. Italy's Valentina Belotti, climbed in a time of 6 minutes 19 seconds, setting the women's course record.


Gallery

File:Thaptaichinh.jpg, Bitexco Financial Tower's
3D model In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...
. File:Bitexco Financial Tower.JPG, 23 November 2009 File:BFTlookingup.jpg, 2 February 2011 File:Bitexco Financial Tower, Ciudad Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 2013-08-14, DD 05.JPG, 14 August 2013 File:Bitexco Financial Tower in HCMC.jpg, Bitexco Financial Tower in HCMC File:Bitexco Financial Tower, Ciudad Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 2013-08-14, DD 07.JPG, By night, August 2014


See also

*
List of tallest buildings in Vietnam This list of tallest buildings in Vietnam ranks skyscrapers in Vietnam by height. The tallest building in Vietnam is the 81-storey Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City, which was completed in 2018 at the height of . It is the seventeenth tallest buildi ...
* Menara Telekom *
Landmark 81 Landmark 81 is a supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The investor and primary developer for the project is Vinhomes, a Vietnamese corporation that is also the country's largest real-estate company. Landmark 81 is the tallest buil ...


References


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20111228045302/http://www.bitexco.com.vn/real-estate-investment/bitexco-financial-tower * * http://saigonskydeck.com/

* http://www.realestatejournal.com/columnists_com/blueprint/20070301-blueprint.html
About the project but the information is not updated as the investor has changed the design



View of Saigon Skyline from Bitexco Building
{{S-end 2010 establishments in Vietnam Office buildings completed in 2010 Skyscrapers in Ho Chi Minh City Skyscraper office buildings in Vietnam