The Shanghai World Financial Center was officially opened last week as the tallest building in mainland China. It is the third tallest in the world after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101. The building stands 492 meters tall and has 101 floors above ground level, with an additional three floors below ground.
The building, which is in the Lujiazui area of Puddong District in Shanghai overlooks the Huangpu River. It is a mixed used project, with retail stores and restaurants, meeting spaces, offices and a hotel. The Park Hyatt Shanghai Hotel will operate on the 79th to 93rd floors and is expected to be open for business soon.
The top floors of the building, from 94 to 100, are observation floors for sightseeing and will be open to the public for a fee. The 100th floor observatory, at 474 meters above the ground, is the tallest in the world.
Construction on the skyscraper began in 1997, but had to be suspended in the midst of the southeast Asian financial crisis. Construction resumed in 2003 and the tallest tower on the mainland is now open for businesspeople, shoppers, tourists and hotel guests.
Useful Resources
