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The Shanghai Tower: 2nd tallest skyscraper of the world

This year 2014 is the when when 2 of the highest skyscrapers in the world are expected to be inaugurated. The Shanghai Tower is the second tallest building in the world, and the New One World Trade Center (NOWTC) is the third tallest building in the world. We already made an introduction about the NOWTC, now is the time for the Shanghai Tower. 

China tallest skycreaper building
Image 1. Shanghai Tower with the Jin Mao Tower and SWFC

Some facts of the Shanghai Tower:
Height: 632 meters (2073 feet)
From base to top the building rotates 120 degree in order to minimize the wind loads. This geometry allowed the saving of nearly 58 million $ in structural materials.
The building adopts sustainbale technologies that reduced the energy consumption by 21%.
The building has an innovative circular inner-glass facade that requires 14% less glass than a square building of the same area.
In March 2010 several trucks pumped concrete during 63 continuous hours in oprder to complete the 6 meter (18 feet) deep foundation.
The energy will be supplied by a 2130 kW gas fired generator.
The express elevator has velocity of 40 mph (18 m/s). Such velocity makes convert those elevators in the fastest of the world.
When completed, the Shanghai Tower will join the Jin Mao Tower and SWFC to form the world's first adjacent grouping of three super-tall buildings.
The glass skin maximizes the daylight, reducing the use of electric lighting.

Design
The tower takes the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other. The tower has a total of 121 floors, all enclosed by the inner layer of the glass facade. 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

Sustainability
Due to its numerous green architecture elements incorporated, the Shanghai Tower will achieve both LEDD Gold certificate and the China Green Building Star rating. The design of the tower's glass facade is intended to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%. This reduces the amount of construction materials needed; the Shanghai tower used 25% less structural steel than a conventional design of a similar height. As a result, the building's constructors are expected to save an estimated US$58 million in material costs.

Though the majority of the tower's energy will be provided by conventional power systems, vertical-axis wind turbines located near the top of the tower will generate up to 350,000 kWh of supplementary electricity per year. The double-layered insulating glass facade is intended to reduce the need for indoor air conditioning, and is composed of an advanced reinforced glass with a high tolerance for shifts in temperature.

References & Further Reading
Shanghai Tower: Gensler design update
The Shanghai Tower: The Beginnings of a Green Revolution in China


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