HSBC Tower () is a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

office building located on

Paseo de la Reforma Paseo de la Reforma (literally "Promenade of La Reforma, the Reform") is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It was designed at the behest of Maximilian of Mexico, Emperor Maximilian by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig d ...

in Colonia Cuauhtémoc,

Cuauhtémoc Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler ('' tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, and the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle", an ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, which is the headquarters of

HSBC Mexico HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

. It is located opposite the

Angel of Independence The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name ''El Ángel'' and officially known as ''Monumento a la Independencia'' ("Monument to Independence"), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de l ...

, and is home to the around 2,800 HSBC Mexico staff. Construction was completed in 2006, at a cost of around

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

150 million. There are 23 office floors and 12 parking levels in the tower, which is one of the tallest in Mexico City. The HSBC Tower is the first of its type of environmentally friendly buildings in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. It was the first in Latin America to be given LEED (

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

) gold certification from the

US Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

Opening

The inauguration of the new head office took place on 5 April 2006, attended by

President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

Vicente Fox Quesada Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the National Action Party ( ...

, the President's wife

Marta Sahagún Marta Sahagún (; born Marta María Sahagún Jiménez (10 April 1953) served as the First Lady of Mexico from 2 July 2001, when she married President Vicente Fox, until he left office on 30 November 2006. Her tenure was marked by her outspoken v ...

, Secretary of Finance

Francisco Gil Diaz Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Commu ...

Banco de México The Bank of Mexico (), abbreviated ''BdeM'' or ''Banxico,'' is Mexico's central bank, monetary authority and lender of last resort. The Bank of Mexico is autonomous in exercising its functions, and its main objective is to achieve stability in th ...

Guillermo Ortiz Martínez Guillermo Ortiz Martínez (born July 21, 1948, in Mexico City) is the son of Gen. Leopoldo Ortiz Sevilla and Graciela Martínez Ostos. He received a B.A. in economics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in ec ...

, HSBC Mexico CEO

Sandy Flockhart Alexander Andrew "Sandy" Flockhart (, born 22 December 1951) is a former CEO of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Early life He was born in the UK and brought up and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he attended George ...

, HSBC Group Chief Executive Stephen Green, HSBC Group Chairman Sir John Bond and Deputy Chairman and senior non-executive Director Baroness Dunn.

Notable features

HSBC's environmental principles mean that the building has been designed from the start to include the best available technology to reduce the consumption of water and electricity, including low consumption bathroom furniture, waterless urinals, rain collection, water treatment plant and efficient use of non-drinkable water. HSBC claim that the building will consume 55% less water and 40% less energy than comparable structures.HSBCworld, June 2006, p10-11

Credit Transforms to Mexico

Credit Transforms to Mexico is a mural which was unveiled by President Fox and Sandy Flockhart in the reception area of the building.

Stephen and Stitt

In common with other HSBC head office buildings, the HSBC Tower has a pair of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s guarding the main entrance. These are copies of those which have stood outside the

HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which is today a wholly owned subsidiary of London-based HSBC Holdings. It is located on the southern side of Statue Square near the location o ...

at 1 Queen's Road Central since 1935.

Notes

External links