Piercing the Sky – What are the Tallest Buildings in the World? Breaking a world record, Gensler architects have officially completed the world’s second-tallest building. Known as the Shanghai Tower, it is also the tallest skyscraper in China.
courtesy of CTBUH
What is The Tallest Tower in Shanghai?
Outdoing the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 31 meters, Shanghai’s new landmark reaches a height of 632 meters. Having begun construction in 2008, the tower is now finally open to the public. Also, Dubai is set to break a new world record in “The World’s Tallest Skyscraper”.
Guinness world records of the Shanghai Tower:
Interestingly, this title is only one out of three Guinness world records broken by this building. Not only has the Shanghai Tower’s elevator broken the record for the largest number of floors passed, but also its elevator is officially the fastest in the world. Gensler architects, one of the leading firms in the US have used BIM technology in the Shanghai tower for the coordination process.
Courtesy of Gensler
At this moment, the only building taller than the Shanghai Tower is Dubai’s Burj Khalifa which is 828 meters high. Situated in Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district, the building occupies 121 stories. This district is considered one of the leading financial hubs in East Asia.
Courtesy of Gensler
The Shanghai Tower includes a variety of different utilities; from offices, commercial shops, and hotels, to cultural facilities. It even includes observation decks at the top where people see a stunning aerial view of the busy city of Shanghai. With all these diverse activities being performed in the tower, the project idea is to perceive the building as a ‘self-contained city.
Courtesy of Gensler
The twisting form of the building is a result of many experiments of wind tunnel tests. Accordingly, it is expected to reduce wind load by approximately 24 percent during typhoons. With China witnessing an architectural breakthrough in the construction of high-rise buildings, such an achievement was highly anticipated.
Additionally, Gensler architects have been designing many high-rise buildings in the past years. These include The Tower at PNC Plaza, the Los Angeles” Gateway” Tower, and King Abdullah Financial District Parcel.
