Jardine House: What to Consider Before Leasing and Fitting Out an Office
Few Central office buildings are as immediately recognisable as Jardine House. Completed in 1973, the tower’s distinctive circular windows have been part of Hong Kong’s skyline for more than half a century. Hongkong Land still positions it within its premium Grade A Central office portfolio, and the building continues to accommodate international legal, financial and corporate occupiers.
For a company considering Jardine House today, its age is therefore only one part of the decision. Location, available unit configuration, the condition of the existing premises, building services and the scope for creating a contemporary workplace all need to be considered before committing to a lease.
Jardine House at a Glance
Jardine House is located at 1 Connaught Place, Central, within Hongkong Land’s wider interconnected Central Portfolio. The building was completed in 1973and was regarded at the time as Hong Kong’s first skyscraper. Its façade contains 1,748 circular glazed windows, which remain its most distinctive architectural feature.
| Building feature | Details |
| Address | 1 Connaught Place, Central |
| Completion | 1973 |
| Building type | Premium Grade A office |
| Typical office floor plate | Approx. 14,000 sq ft |
| Total office lettable area | Approx. 59,000 sq m |
| Retail area | Approx. 4,000 sq m |
| Owner | Hongkong Land |
| Connectivity | Central elevated walkway network |
| Sustainability | BEAM Plus, LEED and WELL Platinum credentials within Hongkong Land’s Hong Kong commercial portfolio |
Public leasing information indicates that individual premises can be significantly smaller than a whole typical floor, so businesses do not necessarily need to occupy an entire 14,000 sq ft level to establish an office in the building.
Why Jardine House Attracts Central Tenants
Jardine House’s location remains one of its strongest practical advantages.
The building helped establish what became the Central Elevated Walkway network. Hongkong Land notes that the network began with a footbridge connecting Jardine House with Chater House and the former General Post Office site, before expanding across the Central business district.
For occupiers, this provides more than a prestigious address. Staff and visitors can move between a significant part of Central through covered and elevated pedestrian routes, with access towards Exchange Square and the transport connections around Hong Kong Station. This can be particularly useful to legal, financial and professional-services firms whose employees spend part of the working day moving between client offices and meetings.
The tenant profile also provides evidence of the building’s continued positioning. When Jardine House celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, 42.5% of occupied space was taken by international and local law firms, while financial-services companies occupied another 18% and luxury businesses accounted for 18%. Hongkong Land also identified Invesco’s Asia-Pacific headquarters and Richemont among occupiers at that time.
The figures are historical snapshots rather than a current tenant directory, but they illustrate why workplace requirements around confidentiality, client meetings, technology and executive accommodation can be particularly relevant when planning an office here.
What Recent Leasing Activity Shows
Recent transactions suggest that Jardine House continues to sit at the premium end of the Central office market. Centaline Commercial’s Jardine House transaction records show several reported leases during 2026:
| Transaction date | Approx. area | Reported rent |
| January 2026 | 1,852 sq ft | HK$120 psf |
| January 2026 | 2,606 sq ft | HK$120 psf |
| April 2026 | 1,682 sq ft | HK$120 psf |
| May 2026 | 1,914 sq ft | HK$120 psf |
| May 2026 | 2,050 sq ft | HK$120 psf |
| July 2026 | 3,898 sq ft | HK$110 psf |
Businesses comparing Jardine House with other locations can refer to MJPM’s Hong Kong Office Rent Guide for a broader view of leasing considerations across Hong Kong.
What to Check Before Fitting Out a Jardine House Office
In a building that has been occupied for more than five decades, the condition of the individual tenancy can be as important as the specification of the building itself.
A prospective office may contain an existing tenant fit-out, partial installations from previous occupants or space that has already been stripped back. That can materially change the renovation programme.
An existing meeting-room suite, for example, may be worth retaining if its location, acoustic performance and building services suit the new workplace. In another unit, extensive alterations over several tenancy cycles may make removal and replanning more practical.
Before fixing the design, the project team should verify the existing air-conditioning arrangement, electrical provision, ceiling and fire-service conditions, telecommunications routes, partition layout and landlord requirements applicable to that specific premises.
This is also where the needs of a modern financial or professional-services office can differ considerably from those of earlier occupants.
Secure networks, structured cabling, reliable Wi-Fi, video conferencing, meeting-room AV, access control and room-booking technology may all form part of the workplace brief. These systems affect more than the IT budget: they can influence meeting-room layouts, ceiling coordination, power requirements and the sequence of construction.
MJPM’s workplace technology integration service can coordinate these requirements alongside the interior fit-out rather than adding them after the layout has already been fixed.
Building-specific technical criteria and landlord approval procedures should be confirmed with Hongkong Land or building management for the actual premises. Public property information is not a substitute for the current tenant fit-out requirements.
A Mature Building with Modern Sustainability Credentials
Jardine House also provides a useful reminder that building age and current environmental performance are separate issues.
Hongkong Land reported that its Hong Kong commercial portfolio achieved Platinum certification across BEAM Plus, LEED and WELL for existing buildings. More specifically, Jardine House achieved what Hongkong Land described as the highest LEED v4.1 Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance certification score among commercial buildings in Hong Kong at the time of reporting.
The achievement reflects continuing investment in an existing asset rather than replacement with a new tower. Hongkong Land has cited Jardine House as an example of its strategy of upgrading and retrofitting established buildings, while stating that it invests across its Central portfolio to keep older properties contemporary and digitally enhanced.
For a prospective tenant with its own sustainability objectives, the fit-out still requires separate decisions around materials, lighting, equipment, reuse and waste. The base building’s certification does not automatically make every tenant interior sustainable.
Planning the Move
Once a Jardine House unit has passed the test-fit stage, the wider relocation programme may need to coordinate landlord submissions, detailed design, construction, technology installation, furniture, testing and commissioning, and the physical staff move.
Businesses leaving another leased office should also review their reinstatement obligations early. MJPM’s office reinstatement services can be coordinated with the new fit-out where the outgoing and incoming projects overlap.
Organisations considering an office at Jardine House can contact MJPM to discuss the potential space, workplace requirements and fit-out programme.