Based in Hong Kong, P&T claims its roots when architect William Salway set up his own practice on 1 October 1868.
Herbert William Bird, a partner of the firm from 1901 to 1928, It is known that Clement Palmer, then only 23 years of age, designed the first
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building in 1883. Arthur Turner, a structural engineer, joined the firm in 1884. From 1891 onwards, the name Palmer and Turner was kept, despite the arrival of new partners. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the practice was very active in
colonial Hong Kong, and in Shanghai, which was a treaty port at the time. A Shanghai office of Palmer and Turner was opened in the mid-1920s, and it designed many important buildings that constitute the
Old Bund in Shanghai, including the
Peace Hotel. Heinz Rust, one of the P&T directors responsible for the changes at the time, said the new company was "streamlined" to suit expansion plans. The company expanded internationally since around 2000, opened new offices in
Dubai (2004),
Abu Dhabi (2007),
Ho Chi Minh City (2008),
Chongqing (2012),
Indonesia (2014),
Shenzhen (2016) and
Riyadh (2018).
1860s–1900s: Early years The origins of the P&T Group date back to 1868, with founder
William Salway's arrival in Hong Kong from Australia, to establish a design practice in response to the demand for grander buildings. In 1880s, the Beaconsfield Arcade was completed, Hong Kong's first multi-storey shopping centre. Architect, Clement Palmer and structural engineer Arthur Turner joined the partnership. India and Malaya offices were opened. Sultan of Johor's Palace was completed. The Shanghai and other offices were closed due to World War II. In 1970s, the Connaught Centre (now known as Jardine House) was completed, Hong Kong's first skyscraper, tallest building in Asia at the time and heralded the revitalisation of the Central District.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University at Hung Hom was completed, the highest density campus in the world at that time. The Singapore office was opened. It now has 14 offices in China, Singapore, Thailand, Middle East, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia; a team of more than 1600 architects, engineers, and designers; and projects carried out worldwide in over 100 cities. In 2018, P&T donated a collection of historical architectural archives to the
University of Hong Kong and
M+ Museum. In June 2024, P&T Group was among ten companies to receive the (Building and Construction Information)
BCI Asia Top 10 Architects Award. == Projects ==