Recently, architectural and construction firm Gensler broke ground on what is set to be the tallest building in China, the Shanghai Tower. Located in the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the building broker ground in December and will be ready for its new occupants in 2014. This region will become China’s first super tall building district and is located next to the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Finance Center.
The Shanghai Tower will be 632 meters tall and have 138 floors. It has been designed with a number of sustainable features, including a high-performance façade with at least nine sky gardens, a rainwater recycling system and wind turbines just beneath the parapet. It has a twisting, asymmetrical design that reduces wind loads by 24 percent, keeping the need for heavier building materials to a minimum.
The overall building is designed as a set of nine cylindrical buildings stacked on top of each other with both an inner and outer façade. It will house offices and businesses as well as have restaurants and cafes for the many users. Art Gensler, Chairman of Gensler, says of the new tower: “We hope Shanghai Tower inspires new ideas about what sustainable tall buildings can be.”
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