The Shanghai Tower

The Shanghai Tower 

ABOUT:

The Shanghai Tower (Chinese: 上海中心大厦; pinyin: Shànghǎi Zhōngxīn Dàshà; literally "Shanghai Central Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. Designed by Gensler, it is the tallest of a group of three supertall buildings in Pudong, the other two being the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Upon its completion in 2014, the building will stand approximately 632 metres (2,073 ft) high and will have 121 stories, with a total floor area of 380,000 m2 (4,090,000 sq ft).

At the time of its topping out in August 2013, the Shanghai Tower was the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world, surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is also China's tallest structure of any kind, surpassing the 600-metre (2,000 ft) Canton Tower in Guangzhou. However, it would be exceeded in height by Changsha's Sky City, which is planned to reach a height of 838 m (2,749 ft) upon its completion in 2014.

Design:
The Shanghai Tower was designed by the American architectural firm Gensler, with Jun Xia leading the design team.The tower takes the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, totalling 121 floors, all enclosed by the inner layer of the glass façade.Between that and the outer layer, which twists as it rises, nine indoor zones will provide public space for visitors.Each of these nine areas will have its own atrium, featuring gardens, cafes, restaurants and retail space and providing 360-degree views of the city.
Both layers of the façade will be transparent, and retail and event spaces will be provided at the tower's base.The transparent façade is a unique design feature, because most buildings have only a single façade using highly reflective glass to lower heat absorption, but the Shanghai Tower's double layer of glass will eliminate the need for either layer to be opaqued.Once opened, the tower is expected to accommodate as many as 16,000 people on a daily basis.
In September 2011, the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced that it had won a bid to construct the Shanghai Tower's elevator system. Mitsubishi Electric will supply all of the tower's 106 elevators, including three high-speed models capable of travelling at 1,080 metres (3,540 ft) per minute – the equivalent of 64.8 kilometres (40.3 mi) per hour, or 18 metres/second. At the time of their installation in 2014, they will be the world's fastest single-deck elevators (18 metres/second) and double-deck elevators (10 metres/second).The building will also hold the record for the world's furthest-travelling single elevator, at 578.5 metres (1,898 ft), surpassing the record held by the Burj Khalifa.
When completed, the Shanghai Tower will join the Jin Mao Tower and SWFC to form the world's first adjacent grouping of three supertall buildings. Its Jin Jiang Hotel, located between the 84th and 110th floors, will be the tallest hotel in the world at the time of its completion.
SOURCE: wikipedia