Not too long ago became viral a video on the Internet with some spectacular images of the coronation of the Shanghai Tower, even when it was far from being completed. In that video we could see how the intrepid climbers Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov brought us all those images that surprised us such a lot. Now the building has reached one of the lastest stages of the construction process.
With final interior construction and design work now underway at the 632-meter-high Shanghai Tower, it was announced that the world’s second-tallest building will open in April 2015.
When finished, it will be one the world’s most sustainably advanced buildings.
“Final work is continuing on schedule and focused on the building’s interior, especially the lobby, first several floors and the top floors,” said Marshall Strabala, Chief Architect of Shanghai Tower.
“The force of the wind, on a super-tall building is the greatest force that architects and engineers had to address,” said Strabala. “In Shanghai the peak wind load is 53 meters per second or 118 mph, and Shanghai Tower is designed to withstand this force.” He added that the tower’s twisted shape was selected so that the building can withstand high winds, or what is called in the architecture field “disorganized vortex shedding.” In essence, it is making the structure “un-aerodynamic.”
As part of the Chinese government's plan for developing the Pudong district, officials requested that Shanghai Tower be designed as a highly sustainable building. After all, the building is intended to represent "China's future," as the last of three super-tall buildings in the Lujiazui neighborhood. The other two adjacent buildings are the Jin Mao Tower that represents "China's past" and the Shanghai World Financial Center that represents "China's present."
Shanghai Tower features many sustainable qualities including:
- Double wall (double skin) which helps the building to manage indoor temperatures year-round and act like a "thermos" said Strabala,
- Geothermal coupling to take advantage of the earth's constant temperature;
- Rainwater collection device so rain can be used to water landscaping and for other secondary uses;
- Wind turbines are installed below the building's parapet to generate supplemental power;
- High-speed elevators generate power when operating.
When completed, the Shanghai Tower hopes to earn LEED Gold certification, and "Three Stars" from China's Green Building Committee in recognition of its sustainable design and construction.
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Project name.- Torre de Shanghai.
Architects.- Gensler/2DEFINE Architecture.
Contractor.- Shanghai Construction Group.
Owner.- Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co., Ltd.
Location.- Lujiazui section of Pudong, a commercial district in Shanghai.
Construction began.- 29th November of 2008.
Estimated opening.- April of 2015.
Estimated opening of observatory.- June of 2015.
Height.- 632 metros.
Stories.- 121 (126 stories, including 5 stories underground).
Ranking.- Tallest building in China; second tallest in world, only surpassed by the 828-meter-tall (2717 foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai. UAE
Cost.- Estimated US$4.2 billion.
