Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong China

Installation of 127 permanent VSL rock anchors to strengthen against

extreme loads including typhoon winds and earthquakes

The Bank of China Tower is an integral part of Hong Kongs dramatic skyscraper skyline.

The building superstructure

comprises four interlocking triangular
shafts, terminating at various
heights. It is built of reinforced
concrete and steel, with a composite
metal tray and reinforced concrete
floor system. The structural concept
is a megastructure made up of a
space truss, which acts to carry both
the vertical loads and horizontal wind
forces.

There are also four massive 9mdiameter caissons, which are located
under the four main columns at the
corners of the superstructure. A
number of smaller caissons also
support the superstructure and the
foundations bear onto semidecomposed granite. All buildings in
Hong Kong have to be designed to
withstand extreme typhoon wind
loading, which for this particular
structure meant a design wind
velocity of 250km per hour.

The buildings height and relatively

light construction meant that the
designer had to introduce permanent
rock anchors into the foundations to
provide overturning resistance and to
The substructure includes a 1m-thick improve lateral shear capability.
diaphragm wall, which runs
around the perimeter of the building. For this purpose, 127 VSL rock
anchors were installed in total, with
77 of them located through the
diaphragm wall and a further 50
Scope of works performed
around the caissons. The anchors in
the caisson region had the additional
Design, fabrication, supply and
task of providing restraint against
installation of 127 permanent
hydraulic uplift for the basement
rock anchors.
structure.

Three different sizes of VSL

permanent monitorable anchor were
adopted in the works - EG5-21, EG635 and EG6-42. Each of the anchors
is fully encapsulated in a corrugated
sheath with individually greased and
sheathed strands in the free length.

The Hong Kong landmark is a

masterpiece by the world-famous
Chinese architect I. M. Pei.

ID 2726

The Bank of China Tower, which

rises to a height of 315m with 70
floors, was at the time of
construction the tallest building in
Hong Kong and the seventh tallest in
the world back in 1990.

Corrosion protection is provided by

a high-density polyethylene
corrugated sheath, which completely
encapsulates the assembled tendon.

OWNER
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd.
ENGINEER

Leslie E. Robertson Associates

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Vallentine, Laurie & Davies
ARCHITECT & PLANNER
I.M. Pei
ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT
Kung & Lee

MAIN CONTRACTOR
Kumagai Gumi (Hong Kong) Ltd.
VSL ENTITY
VSL Hong Kong Ltd.
DATE
1985-1990

In addition, cement grout provides

chemically active protection in the
fixed length whilst the grease and
polyethylene strand sheathing acts
as a secondary protective barrier in
the free length.

The detailed specifications for the

anchors set out very stringent
performance criteria and testing
requirements. A full series of tests
had to be satisfied before installation
work for the anchors could begin.

High-standard fabrication facilities

were necessary to meet the tight
programme and stringent quality
requirements.

The 305m-tall Bank of China Tower

was tallest building in Hong Kong
from 1989 to 1992, when it was
overtaken by the 374m-high Central
Plaza.

Implementation of the scheme using

ground anchors achieved substantial
savings in terms of earthworks and
materials compared with a gravity
structure.
Permanent VSL Ground Anchors
require regular monitoring and
maintenance during the life of the
structure. The outstanding
performance of the anchors has
been proved during subsequent
monitoring and inspection carried out
by VSL over the years following the
installation.

Permanent VSL rock anchor

www.vsl.com

Edited 2008

Work started on the first contract in

May 1985 with off-site proving tests.
VSL Hong Kong in joint venture was
awarded the contract for the design,
supply and installation of 77
permanent rock anchors. As the
technical sponsor, VSL was
responsible for the design,
fabrication, installation and stressing
of the anchors. The second phase of
the contract started in 1986. VSL
was also awarded the sub-contract
for the design, fabrication, supply
and installation of the remaining 50
rock anchors. These two subcontracts included a 2-year
monitoring programme upon
completion of the building structure
as required by the client. Work was
completed in 1990.

The projects stringent pre-works

testing requirements ensured that
design and fabrication of the
production anchors would meet the
high standards necessary for such
an important structure. The corrosion
protection system had to be
considered at the time of detailed
design in order to meet the specified
100 year service life for the anchors.

ID 2726

Special attention was paid to the

anchor nose detail and the end
anchorage details.