The
Shanghai Tower () is a super tall
skyscraper under construction
in the
Pudong District of
Shanghai. It will be the tallest of the group of three supertalls in Pudong, the other two being the
Jin Mao Tower and the
Shanghai World Financial Center. Upon completion, the building will rise approximately , have 128 stories, and contain an area of .
It will be the tallest building in
China, and the second tallest in the
world, surpassed only by the
Burj Khalifa in
Dubai until
Pingan International Finance Centre is completed in 2015.
Planning
Planning models for the
Lujiazui financial district dating back to 1993 show plans for three supertall skyscrapers all next to each other. Two have already been built; the
Jin Mao Building was completed in 1998, and the
Shanghai World Financial Center in 2008.
Competition
After numerous designs were submitted by many architectural firms, two design proposals reached the final in early 2008, both 580 m tall.
An innovative design by
Marshall Strabala of
Gensler was chosen in June 2008, where the building twists as it rises and is surrounded by an outer glass curtain wall.
Design
The tower will be organized as nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, enclosed by the glass
façade's inner layer.
Between that and the outer layer, which twists as it rises, nine indoor zones will provide public space for visitors.
[Each of these nine areas will have its own atrium featuring gardens, cafes, restaurants and retail space and provide 360 degree views of the city. These “sky gardens” will cut down the time needed for people to travel on the building elevators and provide visitors a place to meet, eat and shop. Both layers of the façade will be transparent, and retail and event spaces will be provided at the tower's base.]
Director of Design Marshall Strabala of Gensler told E-Architect.co.uk architectural news website that Shanghai Tower will represent "China's dynamic future." "It will be an impressive building where China looks ahead to both the future of this bustling and ever-changing metropolis, but also to the future of the dynamic Chinese spirit. There will be no other such unique and well-conceived tower in the world," said Strabala.Sustainability
The design of the glass façade is described to be able to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%, meaning less construction materials are needed, and the twisting feature will collect rainwater to be used for the tower's air conditioning and heating systems. Wind turbines will generate power for the building. According to E-Architect.co.uk, it will be the first super-tall (300 meters or taller) double-skin building in the world, acting much like a "thermos bottle," says Strabala, to insulate it and save energy.
In recognition of the Shanghai Tower’s outstanding “green” building design, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke presented a “Certificate of Achievement” to the tower’s developer in May 2010. He said that the sustainable design of the Shanghai Tower gives “us a glimpse of the future of clean energy and how U.S. and Chinese companies are working together to make that future a reality.”
The owners of the future Shanghai Tower hope to be awarded certifications from the China Green Building Committee and the U.S. Green Building Council for the building's sustainable design. Construction
Construction site in June 2009
The current block assigned for the Shanghai Tower, Z3-2, was for a short time a driving range, before the site was cleared for preparation.
The building is planned for completion in 2014. See also
