Note that this was a post from my blog at an older location: Posted July 28 2008

The Shanghai World Financial Center, (SWFC) a building that stands 492 metres high, it is the world’s third tallest building located in China’s largest city, Shanghai. (Taipei 101 is second, and the Burj Dubai is first even though it is still under construction) Like the Taipei 101, it too, also has 101 floors but falls short 17 metres in height because of 101’s spire. The adjacent Jin Mao Tower is the world’s sixth tallest building and stands at 421 metres and has 88 storeys. Construction of the SWFC started in 1997 but the developers (Mori Building Corporation) were hit by the Asian Financial Crisis and construction didn’t resume again, until 2003.

Circumstances were different in 1997, as the initial design was to have a 460 metre high building with 95 storeys, which upon completion, would have been the tallest building in the world. The architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox, had to come up with a new design to rival Tapei 101. The solution was to add 6 extra floors to the building, but that could not have been achieved, as the foundations that had already been placed were only built to hold a 95 storey building. Their solution was simple, and used the same, modular design, as used in the World Trade Centers that once stood in New York City. Essentaily, they’d have a series of 12 storey buildings stacked on top of each other. More problems aroused when a newspaper published an article about the initial design for circular void, and how the Japanese were making there mark on China. (Mori Building Co. being Japanese) KPF’s solution was to create a trapezoidal void instead and place a “hovering” observation deck through the void.

The SWFC was only completed about a week ago, although it’s interior is still yet to be completed. The official opening ceremony for the building I believe is to be early September, after Beijing’s Olympic Games. Once opened to the public, the building will have the highest public observation deck in the world at 474 metres high, while Taipei 101’s top floor is only 449 metres. Elevators that take you to various floors go at 10m/s and some run along the building’s edge. The SWFC is China’s tallest building, but Shanghai’s council and architects have plans for an even taller 580 metre tower called the Shanghai Center. Recently, the design was won by architects Gensler and their “Dragon” design. Construction of the Shanghai Center has already started and is foretasted to be completed by 2012.

Sources from “Skyscrapers” by Herbert Wright (Published by Parragon, 2008) and the documentary “Megastructures: Shanghai Super Tower”.