The recently completed Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower in China, at 2,073 feet, lays claim to being the world’s second-tallest building, behind the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
The completion of the $2.4 billion Shanghai Tower also bumps from the ranks of the 10 tallest buildings the 1,451-foot-tall Willis Tower in Chicago, which had been a mainstay on that list for more than four decades.
The twisty-shaped Shanghai Tower, with 121 stories above ground and five beneath, and a total area of 538,000 square meters, is one of three supertall buildings—the others being the Jim Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center—in the Lujiazui neighborhood in the Pudong commercial district.
Its podium features 50,000 sf of floor area for retail, as well as 19,000 sf that can be divided into three separate rooms for large-scale events, according to Gensler’s website.
The building took six years to complete, and required 1,079 concrete and steel piles to be driven into the ground for support, according to gizmag.com To get to the building’s highest point, occupants can use one of 106 Mitsubishi-desiged elevators that travel up to 40 miles per hour.
Shanghai Tower’s position among the world’s tallest buildings, however, could be shortlived, as the 3,303-foot-tall Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to open in 2020. Both the Jeddah Tower and Burj Khalifa were designed by Adrian Smith.
Photo: Ermell via Wikimedia Commons
Related Stories
Building Team | May 11, 2022
Miami to get its first supertall building
After completing its first supertall building, 111 W 57th Street in New York, developer PMG is now preparing for the groundbreaking of the first supertall in Miami: Waldorf Astoria Miami.
High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022
Seattle’s high-rise convention center nears completion
The new Washington State Convention Center Summit Building—billed as the first high-rise convention center in North America—is on track to complete most of its construction later this year.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2022
Ken Soble Tower becomes world’s largest residential Passive House retrofit
The project team for the 18-story high-rise for seniors slashed the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent and its heating energy demand by 91 percent.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 28, 2022
Singapore’s new Irwell Hill residences will be built around heritage rain trees
The recently unveiled design of Irwell Hill, twin 36-story residence towers, calls for the development to be situated among copious greenery including preserved heritage rain trees.
Legislation | Mar 28, 2022
LEED Platinum office tower faces millions in fines due to New York’s Local Law 97
One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower, in Manhattan faces an estimated $2.4 million in annual fines when New York City’s York’s Local Law 97 goes into effect.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 15, 2022
A 42-story tower envelops residents in Vancouver’s natural beauty
The city of Vancouver is world-renowned for the stunning nature that surrounds it: water, beaches, mountains. A 42-story tower, Fifteen Fifteen, will envelop residents in that natural beauty.
Projects | Mar 11, 2022
Studying science in the sky
In sharp contrast to other types of commercial real estate, the life sciences market is booming, according to SGA, an architecture firm based in Boston and New York that has extensive experience designing life sciences buildings.
Urban Planning | Nov 11, 2021
Reimagining the concrete and steel jungle, SOM sees buildings that absorb more carbon than they emit
The firm presented its case for a cleaner built environment during the Climate Change conference in Scotland.
High-rise Construction | Nov 2, 2021
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt completes in NYC
Snøhetta designed the project.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.
