Shanghai Tower

Chinese name: 上海中心大厦
Location: East bank of Huangpu River, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Time of completion: March 12th, 2016
Height: 632 meters (2073.5 feet)
Floors: 5 floors underground and 119 floors overground
Status: one of the top ten landmark buildings in Shanghai; as of 2019, it is the tallest building in China and the second tallest in the world surpassed only by Burj Khalifa Tower in the United Arab Emirates
Functions: office-based, other formats include exhibitions, hotels, tourism and entertainment, business, etc.

Introduction to Shanghai Tower
Located in the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone of Pudong New Area, adjacent to Shanghai World Financial Center in the east and Shanghai Jinmao Tower in the north, Shanghai Tower is a giant high-rise landmark skyscraper in the city. Its project area is 433,954 square meters. The main body of the building is 119 floors, with a total height of 632 meters and a structural height of 580 meters.
In the bidding for the Shanghai Tower project, many domestic and foreign design units, including SOM Architectural Design Office and KPF Architects in the United States, and Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design Group submitted design plans. The "Dragon" plan of the Gensler Architectural Design Office in the United States and the "Steeple" plan of the Forster+Partners in the United Kingdom were shortlisted. After selection, the "Dragon" plan won the bid, the detailed design of the building was based on the "Dragon" plan, and the construction drawings were completed by the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University. On November 29, 2008, the foundation of the main building of the Shanghai Tower began, and on March 12, 2016, the building was officially completed.

The Shanghai Tower has two glass facades, one inside and one outside. The main shape of the building is an internal circle and an external triangle, which is figuratively speaking like one pipe surrounded by another pipe. The space between the two glass facades provides space for the sky lobby, and at the same time acts as a thermos-like insulation layer, reducing the heating and cooling requirements of the entire building. Reducing the energy consumption of skyscrapers not only helps protect the environment, but also makes such large-scale construction projects more economically feasible. The spiral-shaped rise of the giant landmark skyscraper building of the Shanghai Tower slows down the wind flow, enables the building to withstand the test of typhoon and adds a new skyline to Shanghai.
The Shanghai Tower is divided into five major functional areas, including commercial and entertainment area, office area, corporate and hall area, boutique hotels area and top functional experience space. Among them, "Top of Shanghai Observatory" is in the functional experience area, which has the functions such as city display and viewing, entertainment, catering, sightseeing and so on.

”Top of Shanghai Observatory” in Shanghai Tower

"Top of Shanghai Observatory" is located on the 118th floor of the Shanghai Tower, with a vertical height of 546 meters and an area of more than 1,000 square meters. It has a triangular circular layout and is surrounded by large floor-to-ceiling transparent glass curtain wall. The observatory allows visitors to enjoy a 360-degree birds-eye view of the city's renowned buildings and natural beauties. From April 26, 2017, the "Top of Shanghai Observatory" is officially opened to the public. The B2 floor of the Shanghai Tower is its entrance, with a high-speed elevator that takes visitors straight to the 118th floor at 18 meters per second.