When we hear the words “Hong Kong”, the first thing that comes to mind is the city’s iconic and incredible skyline. Known for its towering skyscrapers, Hong Kong architecture combines sleek, contemporary designs with colonial structures and typologies derived from Chinese architecture. If you’re on the hunt for cool buildings in the city — whether you’re visiting for their history and heritage, or simply to snap a photo for Instagram — then here’s our 10 picks, which includes a mix of older structures and modern designs.
The Henderson — Central
The Henderson in Hong Kong is one of the newest additions to Hong Kong’s architectural landscape. Designed by the world-renowned Zaha Hadid Architects, the design of the building takes inspiration from the bauhinia, the flower that serves as the official symbol of Hong Kong. The structure is a reinterpretation of the flower bud’s layered structure, and its asymmetry aims to reflects nature’s elegance all while embracing cutting-edge sustainability and creativity. Other elements of The Henderson — such as its column-free third-floor lobby and sprawling pedestrian overpass — are also a confluence of Hong Kong’s modern cityscape and its lush greenery. The building mostly hosts 51302.
Location: 2 Murray Road, Central
How to get there: Take the MTR to Central Station (Exit D2), then walk along Des Voeux Road Central. The Henderson is located a short walk from the station.
Bank of China — Admiralty
The Bank of China building is one of the biggest standout buildings on the Hong Kong Island skyline. It was designed by legendary Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, and at 315 metres high, it is the fourth-tallest skyscraper in the city. The building’s design, inspired by the principles of Chinese philosophy, incorporates a series of intersecting diagonal lines, symbolising growth and vitality. Its distinctive triangular form makes it easy to spot in blockbusters like Transformers: Age of Extinction and Godzilla vs Kong. And if you want to see the building it all its resplendent glory, don’t miss the Symphony of Lights during which iconic buildings in the city take part in a daily lights-and-lasers show.
Location: Bank Of China Tower, 1 Garden Rd, Central
How to get there: Take the MTR to Admiralty Station (Exit A), then walk along Harcourt Road. The Bank of China Tower is a short walk from the station.
1881 Heritage — Tsim Sha Tsui
Housed in the former Marine Police Headquarters, the Victorian-era colonial building preserves the site’s architectural legacy and integrates contemporary design elements. The classical arches, decorative cornices, and elaborate detailing of its façade reflects the territory’s colonial past. Its transformation into a high-end shopping and dining destination is evident in its sleek, modern spaces, creating a seamless fusion of past and present. Its courtyard is a popular spot for locals and tourists to gather to see seasonal displays and take pictures of one of Hong Kong’s most well-known buildings.
Location: 2A Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
How to get there: Take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui Station (Exit E), then walk along Canton Road. 1881 Heritage is located at the junction of Canton Road and Salisbury Road.
Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal — Central
If you’ve ever taken a westward-bound tram in Hong Kong, you’ll no doubt have been impressed when you see this building as you turn into Des Voeux Road Central as it’s in striking contrast to the skyscrapers that surround it. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, originally the Old Supreme Court, is one of the best examples of neoclassical architecture in the SAR. Built in 1921, it features a symmetrical façade and Ionic columns, perfect for photoshoots. At the heart of this granite structure is an impressive central rotunda, which gives the building an air of dignity and authority.
Location: 8 Jackson Rd, Central
How to get there: Take the MTR to Central Station (Exit D1), then walk along Chater Road. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal is located on the corner of Chater Road and Ice House Street.
Chi Lin Nunnery — Diamond Hill
This oasis among the bustling urban landscape of Hong Kong exemplifies traditional Chinese wooden architecture — and is built without a single nail! Its design is rooted in the Tang dynasty, featuring elegant, sweeping roofs with curved eaves and intricate wooden beams. What makes it unique is the use of cypress wood, carefully constructed to create a harmonious, peaceful atmosphere. Visitors also come here to marvel at the nunnery’s gardens, with its meticulously arranged rocks, ponds, and bonsai trees.
Location: 5 Chi Lin Dr, Sheung Yuen Leng
How to get there: Take the MTR to Diamond Hill Station (Exit C2), then walk along the pedestrian walkway towards Chi Lin Nunnery, which is located near the station.
Jamia Mosque — Mid-Levels
Jamia Mosque not only has the distinction of being oldest mosque in the city, but it is also the first Mosque in Hong Kong to be declared a monument. It was built between 1915 and 1916 to replace the old mosque on the same site on Shelley Street. Some of the rich Islamic mosque architectural features that can be seen here are the minaret crowned by a dome decorated with finial, pointed multifoil archways at the entrance portico and doorways, and pointed arches above the coloured glazed windows. It is also distinctive for its elongated rectangular plan and octagonal dome at the centre of the prayer hall.
Location: 30 Shelley St, Mid-Levels
How to get there: Take the MTR to Central Station (Exit D2), then take a bus or walk up to Mid-Levels using the escalator. The Jamia Mosque is located on Shelley Street, a short walk from the Central-Mid-Levels escalator.
The Jockey Club Innovation Tower — Hung Hom
The Jockey Club Innovation Tower caused quite the buzz when it was first constructed, as Pritzker Prize awardee and architect Zaha Hadid’s first building in Hong Kong. Part of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University located in Hung Hom district, Kowloon, the 15-storey structure is simply unmissable with its signature “striped” reflective exteriors, a stunning contrast to the red brick buildings of the rest of the university campus behind it. Sprawling over 15,000 metres square in size, with facilities such as design studios and exhibition areas, The Jockey Club Innovation Tower can accommodate over 1,800 students and staff.
Location: 11 Yuk Choi Road, Block V, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom
How to get there: Take the MTR to Hung Hom Station (Exit A3) and enter the PolyU campus.
Lai Tak Tsuen — Tai Hang
A public housing estate located in the Tai Hang neighbourhood, Lai Tak Tsuen dates back to 1975 and is one of the government’s first housing developments in Hong Kong, as well as the second self-funded project by the Hong Kong Housing Society. Made up of three houses and totalling 2,677 flats, the Hong Kong building sets an example for later housing projects, comprising carparks, shops, multiple children’s centres, an elderly centre, a library, a children’s playground and even a basketball court. Lookswise, the estate is truly remarkable, with a cylindrical structure — the only of its kind in Hong Kong — that is almost mesmerising when viewed upwards from below.
Location: 2-38 Lai Tak Tsuen Road, Tai Hang
How to get there: Take the 26, 81 or 81A buses to the estate.
Choi Hung Estate — Ngau Chi Wan
Aside from our iconic skyline, Hong Kong is almost synonymous with Choi Hung Estate. If you haven’t heard of the famous rainbow-coloured public housing estate, well, where have you been? Located in Ngau Chi Wan, Kowloon, construction of the estate was completed between 1962 and 1964 and subsequently received a Silver Medal at the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Awards 1965. What was once a rural village has, in recent years, become an Instagram hotspot, and it’s not difficult to see why — each storey follows the gradient of the rainbow and multiple blocks tower over the visitor, tall and majestic. However, the estate has been marked for redevelopment and residents will need to move out by 2029.
Location: Tse Wai Avenue No. 5-19, Ngau Chi Wan
How to get there: Take the MTR to Choi Hung Station (Exit C3 or C4) and walk towards the estate
Xiqu Centre — West Kowloon
One of the more recent additions to the growing collection of Hong Kong buildings, Xiqu Centre can be found in Tsim Sha Tsui as part of West Kowloon Cultural District’s new art and culture destinations. The venue, opened in 2019, is purpose-built for Chinese opera performances and serves as a hub for promoting Cantonese opera and other traditional Chinese theatre. Opening up to visitors with a dramatic curved facade, the seven-storey building’s glowing form is reminiscent of a shimmering lantern, a hallmark of Chinese culture.
Location: 88 Austin Road West, West Kowloon
How to get there: Take the MTR to Austin Station (Exit E or F) and cross Austin Road West to get to Xiqu Centre.
Hong Kong Design Institute — Tseung Kwan O
Located in Tiu Keng Leng in the Tseung Kwan O district, the Hong Kong Design Institute is a design school offering higher diplomas, degrees and education programmes. Conceptualised by French architecture firm Coldefy & Associés, the school accommodates up to 4,000 students and comprises four auditoriums, a café, a sports hall, and an exhibition hall in the podium area, followed by an urban park and sports ground on the roof, and a library, school administration offices, and other related spaces on the aerial platform.
Location: 3 King Ling Road, Tiu Keng Leng, 3 King Ling Rd, Tseung Kwan
How to get there: Take the MTR to Tiu Keng Leng and cross King Ling Road.
CityU Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre — Kowloon Tong
Sitting pretty on 18 Tat Hong Avenue in Kowloon Tong is the Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, an academic building north of City University of Hong Kong’s main campus. The nine-storey purpose-built teaching complex was designed by Daniel Libeskind and received numerous awards. Composed primarily of steel, concrete and ceramic tile cladding, Libeskind and his team wanted the crystal-shaped building to provide an inspiring environment for creativity, adding in multiple landscaped garden spaces for both the public and students to enjoy.
Location: 18 Tat Hong Ave, Kowloon Tong
How to get there: Take the A23 or E22 bus to Cornwall Street
Opus Hong Kong — The Peak
Opus Hong Kong is Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry’s first residential building in Asia. Located on the Mid-Levels, the complex consists of 12 units, including two duplexes with pools, each with their own unique floor plan and views. Inspired by movement, which Gehry has long been fascinated with, Opus Hong Kong’s unique helical structure reduces the need for load-bearing walls and allows the facade of the building to be constructed almost entirely of glass. In August 2012, the unit on the eighth floor was sold for a pretty HK$470 million, making it the most expensive apartment sold in Hong Kong at the time.
Location: 53 Stubbs Road, The Peak
How to get there: Take Bus No. 15 from Exchange Square.
Monster Building — Quarry Bay
Perhaps one of Hong Kong’s most famous buildings on Instagram, Monster Building first gained fame when it was featured in Hollywood blockbuster Ghost in the Shell and Transformers: Age of Extinction. The name Monster Building actually refers to a group of five connected buildings in Quarry Bay, namely Fook Cheong Building, Montane Mansion, Oceanic Mansion, Yick Cheong Building and Yick Fat Building. Likened to a concrete jungle for its densely packed flats, the example of Hong Kong architecture resembles a Transformer-like monster and is a prime social media spot for photos.
Location: King’s Road, Quarry Bay
How to get there: Take the MTR to Tai Koo (Exit B) and walk along King’s Road for 10 minutes.
Tai Kwun — Central
One of the city’s most successful revitalisation efforts, Tai Kwun is the former Central Police Station Compound that has been transformed into an arts and culture hub. It includes three declared monuments made up of 16 historic buildings and is a prime example of how Hong Kong colonial buildings can be successfully preserved and given new life. In addition to the 16 restored structures, two new buildings have also been added — these are JC Contemporary and JC Cube, both designed by Herzog & de Meuron.
Location: 10 Hollywood Road, Central
How to get there: Leave Central MTR Station (Exit D1) and get to Tai Kwun on the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator.
Blue House — Wan Chai
Painted bright blue in colour — hence its name — Blue House is a four-storey tenement block at Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai. Today, it’s one of the city’s last remaining balcony-type tong lau and a Grade I listed building. While the upper floors still house its original tenants, visitors are welcome to check out the museum on the ground floor named Hong Kong House of Stories, a showcase of Hong Kong’s culture and society throughout the years.
Location: 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai
How To Get There: Make your way to Wan Chai MTR (Exit A3) and walk to Blue House via Queen’s Road East.
Header image credits: AMO, Leung Cho Pan, 1881 Heritage
