GUANGZHOU CTF CENTRE
Completing the Canton Tower, Guangzhou IFC and CTF trio is a big thing. Its an even bigger thing if that building is the fifth tallest in the world. Here are our five facts:
BANK OF CHINA TOWER
Settled in the 'city of skyscrapers', the Bank of China may be a veteran when it comes to Super Scrapers but it still looks as good as new. We have a lot to say about this Chinese wonder:
1. This building is globally renowned for its revolutionary design, yet many people have no clue that it is in fact a bank.....hence the name. Inside there is a grand banking hall and office space.
2. A host of architects were tested to their limits to find an ingenious idea to ensure the skyscraper could survive typhoons, this was before buildings like Taipei 101 and Shanghai World Financial Centre. The designers looked to bamboo shoots as inspiration for strength, growth and prosperity. The design all o helped the building survive storms of all sorts.
3. The building is firmly structured by five steel columns on the corners that support the entire building. Similar to the Guangzhou IFC (http://thesuperscrapers.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/guangzhou-ifc.html) and the Gherkin, the outer parts consist of a diagrid frame which makes the whole building flexible yet strong.
4. It was destroyed in the 2012 film Battleship :(..... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK44q-nxoio) and still remains a feature in lots of other films such as Transformers and Star Trek.
5. The Bank of China Tower and the area around is designed to act as relaxing oasis in the centre of Hong Kong Island. Its water fountains and gardens intend to muffle the sounds from the street and traffic.
6. A lot of controversy surrounds the ownership of the building. For instance, the sign outside says the Bank of China Tower rather than BOCHK which are the buildings overall owners even though many floors have been leased back to BoC.
Stat Attack!!!
GUANGZHOU IFC
Guangzhou IFC serves as a favourite icon in China's third largest city. It surprisingly does not bare a spire unlike buildings of a similar height. This just shows that it is its sheer height and design that makes it one of the tallest buildings of the world.
1. The skyscraper was originally named Guangzhou West Tower and was related to Guangzhou East Tower. As time went on, West Tower came to become Guangzhou IFC. Whereas East Tower grew to become renamed Chow Tai Fook Centre, also know as Guangzhou CTF which is due to be completed early next year and will rival against IFC and the Canton Tower.
2. It is the tallest diagram structure in the world. A diagrid structure is a structure made of interlocking steel bars that are strong, make a cool pattern, are flexible and can withstand internal explosions. A bit like the famous 'Gherkin'.
3. Weirdly its widest point is one third of the way up the building yet it is this ingenious design that allows Guangzhou IFC to have its triangular facade, front face of the building and give it a triangular, irregular and almost alien-looking shape.
4. The building, like most others nowadays are massively eco-friendly. An example of this would be barely any lights are used in the atrium (main room) on the top floor, as it is supplied by a natural source of sunlight from the glass roof.
5. The building is a multi-use building and consists of a: hotel on the top floors, office space in the middle, lobby at the bottom and right at the top there is an observation deck which boasts views of all around the city and of cause the awesome Canton Tower.
KK100
Like in our previous post, the Zifeng Tower, KK100 had just made it the top ten and was officially knocked off when the famous Shanghai Tower was completed almost a year ago. We wanted, as caring and kind skyscraper supporters, to pay tribute to the Super Scraper:
1. This supertall Shenzhen-sation is instrumental in the famously gorgeous skyline of the Far East. With it's beautiful façade and its distinctive shape, in draws in thousands of tourists in day by day.
2. These tourists are privileged to stay in its hotels and shop in its luxury malls, which even houses Shenzhen's first ever IMAX cinema!
3. Surprisingly, this building is the tallest ever skyscraper to be built by a British architect.
4. With height-width ratio of 9:5:1, making one of the slimmest skyscrapers in China and even the World.
5. It came fourth in the world-famous Emporis skyscraper award in 2011... Side note: Keep a lookout for one of our upcoming posts of our own TSS Skyscraper Award inspired by the Emporis originals...
ZIFENG TOWER
You may remember from our video back last year, the Zifeng Tower was eight on the list. Now though, its ninth due to the completion of the Shanghai Tower and with the help of its Chinese cousins: Ping An Finance Centre, Guangzhou CTF Centre, Changsha IFS Tower and its fellow Korean skyscraper: Lotte World Tower (all on top ten by next year) Zifeng Tower, Willis Tower, KK100 and the Petronas Towers will all be knocked off the top 10 list. However, let's make the most of this unknown structure whilst it still shines in glory....
1. Officially the Nanjing Greenland Financial centre, this relatively unknown Oriental masterpiece was designed by large firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill.
2. Completed in 2010, like most tall, successful skyscrapers, it has a hotel near the top (Intercontinental, in Zifeng's case).
3. The building is the tallest in Nanjing and in its province and luckily for it will hold that name for a good amount of years to come.
4. The building is made up of 'parcels', which make the building get its funky-looking shape. It is designed purposely as an icon in the city's skyline and is much-loved by the citizens there.
5. The Zifeng Tower is probably best known for its awards it has received in the past six years of shining in glory. For example: the 2012 best International Project Over $150 Million by Structural Engineers Association of Illinois.
SHANGHAI TOWER
China is no stranger to building high, but this one really takes the biscuit. TSS is proud to present the new 2nd tallest building in the world. As the third tower in the trio of signature skyscrapers at the heart of Shanghai’s new Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai Tower embodies a new prototype for tall buildings. Placed in close proximity to Jin Mao Tower and Shang-high World Financial Centre the new tower rises high above the skyline, its curved façade and spiraling form symbolizing the dynamic emergence of modern China. But its twisting form goes beyond just creating a unique appearance....This is the Shanghai Tower.
1. More than a landmark, the mixed-use tower offers a sustainable way of living in a vertical city, with a unique mix of restaurants, shops, offices, and hotels spaced throughout the building. The tower’s program is organized into nine vertical zones. Each of these vertical neighborhoods rise from a sky lobby, a light-filled garden atrium that creates a sense of community and supports daily life with a varied program catering to tenants and visitors. The sky lobbies function much like traditional town plazas and squares, bringing people together throughout the day. These civic spaces recall the city’s historic open courtyards, which merge interiors with exteriors in a landscaped setting.
2. The skyscraper forms part of the city's so-called super-highrise precinct, located on a bend of the Huangpu river opposite downtown Shanghai. Its neighbours include the 421-metre-high, pagoda-shaped Jin Mao Tower by SOM, and the 492-metre-high Shanghai World Financial Center by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Top of our holiday destinations!
3. Gensler may not be the largest of companies but what a beauty has it produced! Gensler has offices in 46 locations around the world, and its portfolio include the redesign of the San Francisco International Airport and the Houston Ballet Center for Dance. This by far its 'piece de resistance'!
4. Some of the first visitors to the top of the tower weren’t supposed to be there. In February, a pair of Russian climbers managed to break into the site and climb all the way to the top. They uploaded a video of their adventure to YouTube, where it’s been played over 35 million times. Check it out!
5.The building is divided into 7 zones, which are designed like neighborhoods. Two of them have hotels.The cost of it all was a staggering $2.7million!
6. Shanghai Tower will include the world's fastest elevators, which travel at 1,080 meters per minute. Although the Goldin Finance 117 looks even faster, that will be completed in 2017...
PING AN FINANCE CENTRE
Undoubtedly our favourite Super Scraper, TSS our honoured to finally write about the Ping An Finance Centre. Yay! After almost a year of waiting and checking we are absolutely delighted to announce that the Ping An Finance Centre is complete! Emerging from the rooftops of Shenzhen, a skyscraping metropolis, the building represents the truly magnificent style of the Far East. We hope to see more of its fellow tall, dense and hyper-connected cousins appearing in the future.
Completing the Canton Tower, Guangzhou IFC and CTF trio is a big thing. Its an even bigger thing if that building is the fifth tallest in the world. Here are our five facts:
1. It is twinned with the Guangzhou IFC. The West Tower became operational in 2010 and the East Tower opened two months ago.
2. The CTF part in the name is short for Chow Tai Fook. It is owned by CTF which is a private company engaged in property development, hotels, casinos, transportation, jewellery, port and telecommunications business.
3. It houses the world's fastest lifts/elevators, which can reach speeds up to a staggering 1,200 per minute which is equivalent to 44.7mph as well as another 93 lifts! This has ultimately made Guangzhou CTF an icon and a huge tourist attraction.
4. The building was originally designed to be built in the exact same shape and size of that of the IFC across the road.
5. The materials chosen to create this masterpiece are rare and were specifically chosen to give it its texture. A series of terra cotta mullions lines the tower's elevations. Its facade is a mixture of this substance and glass that vertically lines the skyscraper.
Stat Attack!!!
Guangzhou CTF Centre
Official name: Guangzhou CTF Centre
Alternative names: The CTF Guangzhou, Chow Tai Fook Centre, East Tower
Country: China
City: Guangzhou
Street Address: Zhujiang East Road
Construction Start: 2010
Completed: 2016
Global Ranking: #5
Street Address: Zhujiang East Road
Construction Start: 2010
Completed: 2016
Global Ranking: #5
Continental Ranking: #2
National Ranking: #2
City Ranking: #1
Height: 530m(1,739ft)
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
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IFC and CTF on the Pearl River
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BANK OF CHINA TOWER
Settled in the 'city of skyscrapers', the Bank of China may be a veteran when it comes to Super Scrapers but it still looks as good as new. We have a lot to say about this Chinese wonder:
1. This building is globally renowned for its revolutionary design, yet many people have no clue that it is in fact a bank.....hence the name. Inside there is a grand banking hall and office space.
2. A host of architects were tested to their limits to find an ingenious idea to ensure the skyscraper could survive typhoons, this was before buildings like Taipei 101 and Shanghai World Financial Centre. The designers looked to bamboo shoots as inspiration for strength, growth and prosperity. The design all o helped the building survive storms of all sorts.
3. The building is firmly structured by five steel columns on the corners that support the entire building. Similar to the Guangzhou IFC (http://thesuperscrapers.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/guangzhou-ifc.html) and the Gherkin, the outer parts consist of a diagrid frame which makes the whole building flexible yet strong.
4. It was destroyed in the 2012 film Battleship :(..... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK44q-nxoio) and still remains a feature in lots of other films such as Transformers and Star Trek.
5. The Bank of China Tower and the area around is designed to act as relaxing oasis in the centre of Hong Kong Island. Its water fountains and gardens intend to muffle the sounds from the street and traffic.
6. A lot of controversy surrounds the ownership of the building. For instance, the sign outside says the Bank of China Tower rather than BOCHK which are the buildings overall owners even though many floors have been leased back to BoC.
Stat Attack!!!
Bank of China Tower
Official name: Bank of China Tower
Alternative names: none :(
Country: China
City: Hong Kong (Victoria City, Hong Kong Island)
Construction Start: 1985
Completed:1990
Global Ranking: #30
Continental Ranking: #17
National Ranking: #14
City Ranking: #4
Height: 367m
Architect: I.M Pei & Partners
GUANGZHOU IFC
Guangzhou IFC serves as a favourite icon in China's third largest city. It surprisingly does not bare a spire unlike buildings of a similar height. This just shows that it is its sheer height and design that makes it one of the tallest buildings of the world.
1. The skyscraper was originally named Guangzhou West Tower and was related to Guangzhou East Tower. As time went on, West Tower came to become Guangzhou IFC. Whereas East Tower grew to become renamed Chow Tai Fook Centre, also know as Guangzhou CTF which is due to be completed early next year and will rival against IFC and the Canton Tower.
2. It is the tallest diagram structure in the world. A diagrid structure is a structure made of interlocking steel bars that are strong, make a cool pattern, are flexible and can withstand internal explosions. A bit like the famous 'Gherkin'.
3. Weirdly its widest point is one third of the way up the building yet it is this ingenious design that allows Guangzhou IFC to have its triangular facade, front face of the building and give it a triangular, irregular and almost alien-looking shape.
4. The building, like most others nowadays are massively eco-friendly. An example of this would be barely any lights are used in the atrium (main room) on the top floor, as it is supplied by a natural source of sunlight from the glass roof.
5. The building is a multi-use building and consists of a: hotel on the top floors, office space in the middle, lobby at the bottom and right at the top there is an observation deck which boasts views of all around the city and of cause the awesome Canton Tower.
Stat Attack:
Guangzhou CTF
Official name: Guangzhou International Finance Centre
Alternative names: Guangzhou IFC, West Tower
Country: People's Republic of China
Street Address: 5 Zhuijang Avenue West
Construction Started: 2006
Completed: 2010
Global Ranking: #12
Continental Ranking: #8
National Ranking: #6
City Ranking: #1
Height: 439m (1,439ft)
Architect: WilkinsonEyre
KK100
Like in our previous post, the Zifeng Tower, KK100 had just made it the top ten and was officially knocked off when the famous Shanghai Tower was completed almost a year ago. We wanted, as caring and kind skyscraper supporters, to pay tribute to the Super Scraper:
1. This supertall Shenzhen-sation is instrumental in the famously gorgeous skyline of the Far East. With it's beautiful façade and its distinctive shape, in draws in thousands of tourists in day by day.
2. These tourists are privileged to stay in its hotels and shop in its luxury malls, which even houses Shenzhen's first ever IMAX cinema!
3. Surprisingly, this building is the tallest ever skyscraper to be built by a British architect.
4. With height-width ratio of 9:5:1, making one of the slimmest skyscrapers in China and even the World.
5. It came fourth in the world-famous Emporis skyscraper award in 2011... Side note: Keep a lookout for one of our upcoming posts of our own TSS Skyscraper Award inspired by the Emporis originals...
Stat Attack!
KK100
Official name: KK100
Alternative names: KK100 Development, Kingkey 100, Kingkey Finance Center Plaza, Kingkey Finance Tower
Country: People's Republic of China
Street Address: 5016 Shennan East Road
Construction Started: 2007
Completed: 2011
Global Ranking: #11
Continental Ranking: #8
National Ranking: #5
City Ranking: #1
Height: 183m (600ft)
Architect: TFP Farrells
ZIFENG TOWER
You may remember from our video back last year, the Zifeng Tower was eight on the list. Now though, its ninth due to the completion of the Shanghai Tower and with the help of its Chinese cousins: Ping An Finance Centre, Guangzhou CTF Centre, Changsha IFS Tower and its fellow Korean skyscraper: Lotte World Tower (all on top ten by next year) Zifeng Tower, Willis Tower, KK100 and the Petronas Towers will all be knocked off the top 10 list. However, let's make the most of this unknown structure whilst it still shines in glory....
1. Officially the Nanjing Greenland Financial centre, this relatively unknown Oriental masterpiece was designed by large firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill.
2. Completed in 2010, like most tall, successful skyscrapers, it has a hotel near the top (Intercontinental, in Zifeng's case).
3. The building is the tallest in Nanjing and in its province and luckily for it will hold that name for a good amount of years to come.
4. The building is made up of 'parcels', which make the building get its funky-looking shape. It is designed purposely as an icon in the city's skyline and is much-loved by the citizens there.
5. The Zifeng Tower is probably best known for its awards it has received in the past six years of shining in glory. For example: the 2012 best International Project Over $150 Million by Structural Engineers Association of Illinois.
Stat Attack:
Zifeng Tower
Official name: Nanjing Greenland Financial Centre
Alternative Names: Zifeng Tower
Country: People's Republic of China
Street Address: 9 Zhonyang Road, Gulou District
Construction Started: 2006
Completed: 2010
Global Ranking: #9
Asia: #6
National Ranking:#3
City Ranking:#1
Architect: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Height: 450m (1,476ft)
SHANGHAI TOWER
China is no stranger to building high, but this one really takes the biscuit. TSS is proud to present the new 2nd tallest building in the world. As the third tower in the trio of signature skyscrapers at the heart of Shanghai’s new Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai Tower embodies a new prototype for tall buildings. Placed in close proximity to Jin Mao Tower and Shang-high World Financial Centre the new tower rises high above the skyline, its curved façade and spiraling form symbolizing the dynamic emergence of modern China. But its twisting form goes beyond just creating a unique appearance....This is the Shanghai Tower.
1. More than a landmark, the mixed-use tower offers a sustainable way of living in a vertical city, with a unique mix of restaurants, shops, offices, and hotels spaced throughout the building. The tower’s program is organized into nine vertical zones. Each of these vertical neighborhoods rise from a sky lobby, a light-filled garden atrium that creates a sense of community and supports daily life with a varied program catering to tenants and visitors. The sky lobbies function much like traditional town plazas and squares, bringing people together throughout the day. These civic spaces recall the city’s historic open courtyards, which merge interiors with exteriors in a landscaped setting.
2. The skyscraper forms part of the city's so-called super-highrise precinct, located on a bend of the Huangpu river opposite downtown Shanghai. Its neighbours include the 421-metre-high, pagoda-shaped Jin Mao Tower by SOM, and the 492-metre-high Shanghai World Financial Center by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Top of our holiday destinations!
3. Gensler may not be the largest of companies but what a beauty has it produced! Gensler has offices in 46 locations around the world, and its portfolio include the redesign of the San Francisco International Airport and the Houston Ballet Center for Dance. This by far its 'piece de resistance'!
4. Some of the first visitors to the top of the tower weren’t supposed to be there. In February, a pair of Russian climbers managed to break into the site and climb all the way to the top. They uploaded a video of their adventure to YouTube, where it’s been played over 35 million times. Check it out!
5.The building is divided into 7 zones, which are designed like neighborhoods. Two of them have hotels.The cost of it all was a staggering $2.7million!
6. Shanghai Tower will include the world's fastest elevators, which travel at 1,080 meters per minute. Although the Goldin Finance 117 looks even faster, that will be completed in 2017...
Stat attack!
Official name: Shanghai Tower
Alternative names: Shanghai centre
Country: China
City: Shanghai
Street Address: Yincheng Middle Rd
Construction Started: 2008
Completed: 2015
Global Ranking: #2
National Ranking#1
City Ranking:#1
Height: 632m
Architect: Gensler
PING AN FINANCE CENTRE
1. Ping An Finance Center rises from a prominent location in the center of the city, connecting seamlessly to neighboring commercial and residential properties, as well as the Pearl River Delta’s high-speed rail corridor. At its final height, the tower symbolises a city which has witnessed unprecedented urban growth – from 300,000 people to approximately 10 million – in the 35 years since becoming China’s first Special Economic Zone.
2. The original plan was to add a 60m spire atop the building to surpass the Shanghai Tower and consequently become the tallest building in China and the Far East. However, unfortunately for us this idea would not work and the antenna would not top the PAFC due to the possibility that it might obstruct flight paths. KPF were not happy...
3. In January 2015, daredevil Malaysian photographer Keow Wee Loong scaled the incomplete building and released video footage and a photo taken from the crane at the top. Skyscraper aren't skyscrapers without the daredevil climbers!
4. Upon completion, the building will contain office, hotel and retail spaces, featuring a conference centre and a high-end shopping mall. The two uppermost stories will feature an observation deck. As its name suggests, it will also become the headquarters of Ping An Insurance. The building will have a total gross floor area of 378,600 square meters plus a basement area of 90,000 square meters. Who knows, maybe one day we could go there!
5. A second building of the project, a 290-metre, 47-story skyscraper known as the south tower, is in its foundation stage. Not much is known about this building. All we know is that we definitely will be posting something about this in the near future. Construction started in April 2014 and is expected to be completed by 2018. The complex will include a planned retail bridge connecting the two skyscrapers from levels 3 through 6.
6. Fact 6..........Hmmmm....... This building is awesome!!!!!
Stat Attack!
Ping An Finance Centre
Official Names: Ping An International Finance Centre
Alternative Names: Ping An, PAIFC
Country: China
City: Shenzhen
Street address: Titian Rd
Construction Started: 2010
Completed: 2016
Global Ranking: #3
National Ranking: #2
City Ranking: #1
Height: 599m (1965ft)
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
S
HUN HING SQUARE
Situated in the Oriental source of Shenzhen, it soars the far eastern skies at a magnificent 384 metres high. That's 28% higher than all the average super scrapers recorded since 1930! Its sleek, symmetrical shape contributes as one of China's most fabulous sights. A giant of the East, here is what we have to say about it:
1. It is the tallest building in the world that has less than 70 floors (Shun Hing Square has 69).
2. It is nicknamed the 'Diwang Building', and this is because of the auction price that the piece of land on which Shun Hing Square stands was sold for.
3. It was the world's thinnest building (not just skyscraper, building!) by ratio in the world when it was built in 1996, with a width to height ratio of a jaw-dropping 1:9 (meaning that it is 9 times higher than it is wide). It has since been surpassed by a block of flats in Shanghai, dubbed China's Flatiron Building, which is so thin that residents cannot even fit a chair into their apartment.
4. Although almost entirely office space, there just simply could not be a super scraper like this without our old friend the observation deck. Said deck is called the Meridian View Centre, which is on the very top floor of the building. There is also 5 floors of shopping centre.
5. It is made purely of steel, and 24,500 tonnes of this metal were used in its construction. It is the tallest of its type in the country.
6. For less than a year, it was in fact, the tallest building in Asia, before being superseded by CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou.
1. Comparable to that of Taipei 101, the building's shape draws on traditional Chinese forms, especially the tiered pagoda.
2. When first completed, it was not only the tallest building and structure in Shanghai but in the whole of China as well.
3. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Perrill, it reportedly has a daily maintenance cost of a staggering 120,000 US dollars, which is nearly the equivalent of 80,000 British pound sterling. Wowzers! Someone's got deep pockets!
4. Similar yet superior to many Super Scrapers, it can withstand winds up to a driving force of 200km per hour! And can sway 75cm in these circumstances!
5. Famous skyscraper climber Alain Robert attempted and failed to scale the Jin Mao and faced the consequence of illegally climbing the building (not a first time) behind metal bars in a Chinese prison. Robert, who unsuccessfully applied for permission to climb the tower shortly before, was stopped halfway up by a Chinese copper, got himself thrown into jail for a week and finally became banished from the nation. This is why there are no Chinese buildings on his otherwise impressive C.V.
6. It includes several bars, nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, shops and offices, making it one of the world's first proper 'vertical cities'.
INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE CENTRE
This monument to glass and concrete is the beating heart of the magical region of Hong Kong. Check out our enthralling facts and stats on the vertical city that is the ICC:
1. You would think that the world's highest swimming pool was located somewhere in one of the skyscrapers with dozens of records, such as the Burj Khalifa and Taipei 101, but no. It is there. In the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on floors 102 to 118 lies the loftiest paddling pool of them all.
2. The design includes a long slope at the bottom, representing a dragon as the spirit of Hong Kong. Creativity amongst architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates led to this being installed.
3. Much like The Shard in London was constructed above London Bridge railway station, the ICC is on top of Kowloon station, on the Tung Chung Line running throughout Hong Kong and the airport shuttle route.
4. It was originally meant to be taller but law in Hong Kong stated that manmade buildings could not be taller than the surrounding mountain range; therefore, the designs had to be scaled down.
5. Besides the Ritz-Carlton, the rest of the building is class-A commercial office space, besides the lobby, the basement, which contains a shopping mall, and the 101st floor, where a number of 5-star restaurants sit. Office firms occupying the building include banks Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, as well as Josef Lang Capital Management and Accenture LLP.
6. It serves as a beacon to incomers to the bordering Hong Kong Harbour; it's shimmering lights at night are hard to miss.
SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTRE
One of the most unique yet beautiful skyscrapers that ever existed, Shanghai World Financial Centre, or known often by it's initials SWFC (no, not Sheffield Wednesday), makes a vast impact on the Shanghai skyline. Let's read more about this remarkable structure.
1. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, it was built to withstand future disasters like plane crashes.
2. It was only originally supposed to be 460 m tall
3. In 2008, it was named the best building in Asia overall.
4. Construction actually started in 1997, but was put on hold for some time due to the Asian financial crisis.
5. On 14th August 2007, a fire broke out on the construction site of SWFC; although no on was killed or even particularly injured, it is still a big deal pondering the nature of the fire.
TOP 10 TALLEST BUILDINGS IN SHENZHEN
Shenzhen is a rather unknown city in China, however, when it comes to skyscrapers it is a megapolis. These are the tallest buildings there:
1. KK100
Height: 442 m (1449 ft.)
2. Shun Hing Square
Height: 384 m (1260 ft.)
3. East Pacific Center Tower A
Height: 306 m (1004 ft.)
4. Heung Kong Tower
Height: 301 m (987 ft.)
5. SEG Plaza
Height: 292 m (957 ft.)
6. Excellence Century Plaza Tower 1
Height: 280 m (919 ft.)
7. NEO Tower A
Height: 273 m (896 ft.)
8. East Pacific Center Tower B
Height: 261 m (856 ft.)
9. Shenzhen Special Daily Zone Tower
Height: 260 m (853 ft.)
10. Shenzhen AVIC Plaza
Height: 254 m (833 ft.)
TOP 10 TALLEST BUILDINGS IN HONG KONG
Hong Kong has the world record for the city with the most skyscrapers (that is, buildings over 100 metres tall) and has produced some big ones in it's time. Let's have a look at the 10 tallest:
1. International Commerce Centre
Height: 484 m (1,588 ft.)
2. Two International Finance Centre
Height: 412 m (1,352 ft.)
3. Central Plaza
Height: 374 m (1,227 ft.)
4. Bank of China Tower
Height: 367 m (1,205 ft.)
5. The Center
Height: 346 m (1,135 ft.)
6. Nina Tower
Height: 320 m (1,051 ft.)
7. One Island East
Height: 298 m (978 ft.)
8. Cheung Kong Centre
Height: 283 m (928 ft.)
9=. The Cullinan Tower I
Height: 270 m (886 ft.)
9=. The Cullinan Tower II
Height: 270 m (886 ft.)
HUN HING SQUARE
Situated in the Oriental source of Shenzhen, it soars the far eastern skies at a magnificent 384 metres high. That's 28% higher than all the average super scrapers recorded since 1930! Its sleek, symmetrical shape contributes as one of China's most fabulous sights. A giant of the East, here is what we have to say about it:
1. It is the tallest building in the world that has less than 70 floors (Shun Hing Square has 69).
2. It is nicknamed the 'Diwang Building', and this is because of the auction price that the piece of land on which Shun Hing Square stands was sold for.
3. It was the world's thinnest building (not just skyscraper, building!) by ratio in the world when it was built in 1996, with a width to height ratio of a jaw-dropping 1:9 (meaning that it is 9 times higher than it is wide). It has since been surpassed by a block of flats in Shanghai, dubbed China's Flatiron Building, which is so thin that residents cannot even fit a chair into their apartment.
4. Although almost entirely office space, there just simply could not be a super scraper like this without our old friend the observation deck. Said deck is called the Meridian View Centre, which is on the very top floor of the building. There is also 5 floors of shopping centre.
5. It is made purely of steel, and 24,500 tonnes of this metal were used in its construction. It is the tallest of its type in the country.
6. For less than a year, it was in fact, the tallest building in Asia, before being superseded by CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou.
Stat Attack!!!
Shun Hing Square
Official Name: Shun Hing Square
Alternative Names: Diwang Building, Di Wang Commercial Centre
Country: China
City: Shenzhen
Street Address: 5002 Shennan Road East
Construction Started: 1993
Completed: 1996
Global Ranking: #20 in the world
Continental Ranking: #12 in Asia
National Ranking: #9 in China
City Ranking: #2 in Shenzhen
Height: 384 m (1,260 ft.)
Architect: K.Y Cheung Design Associates
JIN MAO TOWER
Centred in the heart of Shanghai, the Jin Mao Tower is not only overshadowed in old-fashioned beauty but also quite literally overshadowed by its bigger yet younger brothers Shanghai World Financial Centre and the soon-to-be megatall structure known throughout the world as the Shanghai Tower. However, this lack of fame and comparative height does not conceal its glory: TSS brings you these factoids about this true Super Scraper:
1. Comparable to that of Taipei 101, the building's shape draws on traditional Chinese forms, especially the tiered pagoda.
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| Jin Mao Tower and it's tiered pagoda-based design |
3. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Perrill, it reportedly has a daily maintenance cost of a staggering 120,000 US dollars, which is nearly the equivalent of 80,000 British pound sterling. Wowzers! Someone's got deep pockets!
4. Similar yet superior to many Super Scrapers, it can withstand winds up to a driving force of 200km per hour! And can sway 75cm in these circumstances!
5. Famous skyscraper climber Alain Robert attempted and failed to scale the Jin Mao and faced the consequence of illegally climbing the building (not a first time) behind metal bars in a Chinese prison. Robert, who unsuccessfully applied for permission to climb the tower shortly before, was stopped halfway up by a Chinese copper, got himself thrown into jail for a week and finally became banished from the nation. This is why there are no Chinese buildings on his otherwise impressive C.V.
6. It includes several bars, nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, shops and offices, making it one of the world's first proper 'vertical cities'.
Stat Attack!!!
Jin Mao Tower
Official Name: Jin Mao Tower
Alternative Names: Jinmao Tower, Jinmao Building, Jin Mao Building
Country: China
City: Shanghai
Street Address: 88 Century Avenue
Construction Started: 1994
Completed: 1999
Global Ranking: #14 in the world
Continental Ranking: #9 in Asia
National Ranking: #6 in China
City Ranking: #2 in Shanghai
Height: 421 m (1,380 ft.)
Architect: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE CENTRE
This monument to glass and concrete is the beating heart of the magical region of Hong Kong. Check out our enthralling facts and stats on the vertical city that is the ICC:
1. You would think that the world's highest swimming pool was located somewhere in one of the skyscrapers with dozens of records, such as the Burj Khalifa and Taipei 101, but no. It is there. In the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on floors 102 to 118 lies the loftiest paddling pool of them all.
2. The design includes a long slope at the bottom, representing a dragon as the spirit of Hong Kong. Creativity amongst architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates led to this being installed.
3. Much like The Shard in London was constructed above London Bridge railway station, the ICC is on top of Kowloon station, on the Tung Chung Line running throughout Hong Kong and the airport shuttle route.
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| The Elements shopping mall |
5. Besides the Ritz-Carlton, the rest of the building is class-A commercial office space, besides the lobby, the basement, which contains a shopping mall, and the 101st floor, where a number of 5-star restaurants sit. Office firms occupying the building include banks Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, as well as Josef Lang Capital Management and Accenture LLP.
6. It serves as a beacon to incomers to the bordering Hong Kong Harbour; it's shimmering lights at night are hard to miss.
SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTRE
One of the most unique yet beautiful skyscrapers that ever existed, Shanghai World Financial Centre, or known often by it's initials SWFC (no, not Sheffield Wednesday), makes a vast impact on the Shanghai skyline. Let's read more about this remarkable structure.
1. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, it was built to withstand future disasters like plane crashes.
2. It was only originally supposed to be 460 m tall
3. In 2008, it was named the best building in Asia overall.
4. Construction actually started in 1997, but was put on hold for some time due to the Asian financial crisis.
5. On 14th August 2007, a fire broke out on the construction site of SWFC; although no on was killed or even particularly injured, it is still a big deal pondering the nature of the fire.
Stat Attack!!!
Shanghai World Financial Centre
Official Name: Shanghai World Financial Centre
Alternative Name: SWFC
Country: China
City: Shanghai
Street Address: 100 Century Avenue
Construction Started: 1997
Completed: 2008
Global Ranking: #4th tallest in the world
Continental Ranking: #2nd tallest in Asia
National Ranking: #1st tallest in China
City Ranking: #1st tallst in Shanghai
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Height: 492 m (1,614 ft.)
TOP 10 TALLEST BUILDINGS IN SHENZHEN
Shenzhen is a rather unknown city in China, however, when it comes to skyscrapers it is a megapolis. These are the tallest buildings there:
1. KK100
Height: 442 m (1449 ft.)
2. Shun Hing Square
Height: 384 m (1260 ft.)
3. East Pacific Center Tower A
Height: 306 m (1004 ft.)
4. Heung Kong Tower
Height: 301 m (987 ft.)
5. SEG Plaza
Height: 292 m (957 ft.)
6. Excellence Century Plaza Tower 1
Height: 280 m (919 ft.)
7. NEO Tower A
Height: 273 m (896 ft.)
8. East Pacific Center Tower B
Height: 261 m (856 ft.)
9. Shenzhen Special Daily Zone Tower
Height: 260 m (853 ft.)
10. Shenzhen AVIC Plaza
Height: 254 m (833 ft.)
TOP 10 TALLEST BUILDINGS IN HONG KONG
Hong Kong has the world record for the city with the most skyscrapers (that is, buildings over 100 metres tall) and has produced some big ones in it's time. Let's have a look at the 10 tallest:
1. International Commerce Centre
Height: 484 m (1,588 ft.)
2. Two International Finance Centre
Height: 412 m (1,352 ft.)
3. Central Plaza
Height: 374 m (1,227 ft.)
4. Bank of China Tower
Height: 367 m (1,205 ft.)
5. The Center
Height: 346 m (1,135 ft.)
6. Nina Tower
Height: 320 m (1,051 ft.)
7. One Island East
Height: 298 m (978 ft.)
8. Cheung Kong Centre
Height: 283 m (928 ft.)
9=. The Cullinan Tower I
Height: 270 m (886 ft.)
9=. The Cullinan Tower II
Height: 270 m (886 ft.)
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