The Shanghai Tower is a symbol of modern China. Shanghai Tower - the tallest skyscraper in Asia

The Shanghai Tower is the newest skyscraper in the Chinese metropolis. This is not only the tallest building in Shanghai, but also the tallest tower in all of China, and indeed the third tallest building in the world. For many years, the 632-meter tower has become the dominant of the main Shanghai view -.

During a trip to China, I went up to the observation deck in this tower to look at Shanghai from a height of 550 meters. However, the weather in the city is not a simple matter, and once again I experienced the peculiarities of Shanghai smog...

1. In terms of height, the Shanghai Tower (632m) is second only to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (830m), and the Tokyo Skytree in Japan (634m - there is only a two-meter gap here!) building in the world.

2. The skyscraper was completed in 2015, and gradually opened throughout 2016. It is adjacent to two other ultra-tall buildings in Shanghai: Jinmao (left) and the World Financial Center, popularly known as the "opener" (middle).

3. These three skyscrapers, as well as the Oriental Pearl TV tower, make up the main view of Shanghai, its calling card. In the evening, all these buildings are illuminated by bright lights, and are reflected in the waters of the Huangpu River - I would not be surprised if this is the most photographed frame in all of China.

4. My history with the Shanghai Tower began back in 2013 when I first visited China. Then, having arrived at the end of the trip to Shanghai, I saw a huge skyscraper, still under construction, standing next to two already impressive skyscrapers.

5. The unfinished tower looked very imposing, and a little ominous, especially in the late afternoon. The jagged silhouette of the structure looked like something out of Star Wars, some kind of powerful fortress of some kind of space villain.

If you remember, next year a video made a lot of noise, where two Russian-speaking roofers penetrate the tower under construction, and on foot climb to the very top, and then into the boom of a construction crane. Here is the video (be careful, I got a little dizzy from watching!):

6. Then, when I arrived in Shanghai at the beginning of 2016, the tower was already completed, but unfortunately, the authorities did not manage to open it before my arrival. And I never managed to photograph it properly: the peak was hidden among thick clouds.

7. I saw how the workers were bringing the last details of the building before the opening, but unfortunately they were not allowed inside then. The tower officially opened later in 2016.

And now, a couple of years later, I finally got the chance to go upstairs, on the observation deck (after all, where is such a noble skyscraper without an observation deck ?!)

8. My hotel and office were in a nearby opener (...Spoiler alert: the commute to work wasn't as short as I expected.) Turns out the opener and the Shanghai Tower are connected by a futuristic underpass. When I saw him, at first I was afraid that someone would come and kick me out of this beautiful space. But then it turned out that this is just an ordinary passage through which people from a nearby metro station get to the main skyscraper of the city.

9. Although it was possible to pass through such a transition, in order to buy tickets to the observation point, you need to go outside to a specially equipped ticket office. The base ticket price for adults is 180 yuan (that's about $26). In addition, you can buy a ticket to the 25th floor (more on that later)

10. Almost all the observation decks of the main skyscrapers of the world make the visitor first go down the escalator. Near the entrance to the observation deck, the mascots of the event are sitting, two bears of a very intelligent appearance.

11. The canon of the genre: before going upstairs, the visitor must pass through the framework of a metal detector, and then he enters a mini-museum of the construction of this and other skyscrapers in the world. Here the tourist can learn various facts about the Shanghai Tower through various multimedia installations.

12. Other tower-brothers are also presented. For example, .

But about Tokyo Skytree, they decided to keep silent. Well, in the end, what is a two-meter difference? ..

14. But in one of the corners with talisman bears, St. Basil's Cathedral is painted, which is identified abroad with all of Russia. I don't quite understand what he's up to...

15. I go to the elevator...

16. And then I find out that this is not just an elevator, but the fastest elevator in the world, which runs at a speed of up to 20 meters / second. Near its doors there is even a letter from the Guinness Book of Records. Here is the luck!

17. Of course, inside the cabin there is a screen showing the speed. Unfortunately, I was not able to record the maximum speed of this elevator. Stupidly didn't make it.

18. And here I am at the top. This is the 118th floor, 546 meters above the ground. There aren't many people on the lookout right now...

19. And those who are, stand at the side, and try to see and photograph something.

20. It turns out they are not very good, since the view from the window is now like this:

21. The entire landscape is hidden by the famous Shanghai smog. You can barely see through it
the outlines of the nearest buildings, but in general nothing is visible. You can consider that I was unlucky with air quality, although in my experience, about 30% of the days in Shanghai are like that.

22. Next to the panoramic windows there is a mocking display showing what the picture could have been like if I arrived on another day. In fact, it's hard for me to imagine such a clear sky over Shanghai.

23. The only thing that shows through this gray veil is the neighboring skyscrapers. Here is Jinmao (built in 1998, height - 421 meters):

24. Next to it is the World Financial Center (2008, 494 meters):

25. Few visitors line up along the windows, trying to find a normal shot. No wonder they spent money on a ticket here. There must be at least one good photo!

26. Basically this photo is a shot of the "opener" outside the window. She hasn't fully merged with the mist yet.

27. One of the most popular attractions of tall skyscrapers is the "transparent floor" attraction. Since there is nowhere to do this in the Shanghai Tower, the designers inserted special touch monitors in one place into the floor, which begin to crack if you stand on them.

28. Soon pieces of the building fall off and the visitor is invited to stand on a glass surface at a height of 450+ meters and experience what it would be like to float above the ground at the same height. However, the picture quality leaves much to be desired.

29. Visitors to the tower look with curiosity at the fake floor with holes.

30. You can climb the stairs to the 119th floor.

31. Here the height is 552 meters. I remind you that the height of the observation deck in Burj Khalifa is 555m, only three meters higher. The network writes that the Shanghai Tower also has an observation tower on the 121st floor, and its height is 561 meters, that is. But at the time of my visit, they were not allowed in - it seems that it has not yet been opened since the completion of the tower.

32. There is a souvenir shop on the lookout. Here you can buy all sorts of uninteresting trinkets made in the image and likeness of the tower.

33. Who needs a pillow with a colorful view of the whole Pudong? .. Inexpensive! (Although possibly expensive, I haven't looked at it.)

34. If you bought a postcard in a souvenir, then you can send it right here - there is a mailbox on the observation deck. Just do not forget the stamp (you can also buy it in the souvenir shop).

35. Since this is still China, here. In the lobby of the observation room there is a charger for phones, and in general for everything electrical.

36. And here I saw a collection - I used to come across such only in Japan!

37. For some reason, an artificial tree was built here, which visitors decorate with hearts. The trunk and branches are made of papier-mâché, while the leaves are all plastic. The tree stands on a green "lawn" of photo wallpapers.

38. But next to it is a bench with real greenery. They can, when they want.

39. You can sit here and wait for the air to clear a bit (I actually left and came back the other evening).

40. When the smog is not as thick, there is a good view around the bend of the Huangpu River, including the old buildings of the early 20th century on the far bank. In the evening twilight, the colorful lights of Shanghai are lit.

41. Two neighboring skyscrapers are also clearly visible, and below the city streets turn into rivers of warm light.

42. On the far shore are numerous gaudy skyscrapers of Chinese architecture. Here it is for you, Sim City...

43. For an additional fee, the visitor can go up to the 125th floor. There is no view from there (there are no windows in this room), but there is something else interesting here.

44. A huge multi-ton load is suspended here, which stabilizes the Shanghai Tower from fluctuations in the wind and in the event of an earthquake. This cargo is made in the form of curving petals, and it is not very visible from the 125th floor. But this is the highest place where you can climb with ordinary tickets (you have to pay extra at the box office from the very beginning.)

45. They say there are private tours (they cost over $100) that take tourists to the 126th floor to see this thing in all its glory. I was not there, so I show you a photo from the network:

This is such an interesting skyscraper. Don't miss it when you're in Shanghai - you can visit it.

Vitaly Raskalov writes: “Hi everyone! I want to dilute the two-month lull in this livejournal. A few months ago, together with dedmaxopka, we planned a trip to major cities in China, from Hong Kong to Shanghai. The main goal of our trip was the tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower, which is currently under construction, at the moment its height, together with the crane boom, reaches a little over 650 meters, which makes the tower the second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa in the UAE.

Knowing about the very strict laws in China, we carefully prepared and chose the right date, the Chinese New Year. For a time during which the guards were less vigilant, the workers were absent and the taps were not working. We made our way to the crane around midnight, climbed 120 floors for almost 2 hours on foot and slept for almost 18 hours at the construction site in anticipation of good weather. What came out of it, you can see in the new video clip.

(Total 13 photos + 1 video)

1. Low clouds begin to gather over the city.

2. JinMao Tower and Shanghai Financial Center, popularly known simply as "The Opener".

3. By dawn, the clouds became even denser, and the city was completely covered.

4. For comparison, the left tower has a height of 421 meters, and the right one is 490.

5. One of the main goals of climbing the tower was to shoot a video, since there was low cloud cover in the city, it was decided to sit out on the last floors of the construction site and wait it out.

6. An hour before dawn, the clouds parted, and we climbed up.

8. 650 meters.

The Shanghai Tower is an ultra-tall building under construction in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. When completed, this building should become the tallest building in the Pudong area, ahead of the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

By the way, China produced more cement in two years than the United States did in the entire 20th century! According to official data from the State Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of China, from January to December 2014, the cement industry of China produced cement in the amount of 2 billion 476 million tons. And for the last two years - 4 billion 890 million tons (4.9 gigatonnes). The United States, according to USGS Cement Statistic, produced only 4.5 gigatonnes of cement between 1901 and 2000. In recent years, the United States has been producing about 80 million tons of cement per year (30 times less than China), Russia - 65 million tons.

The construction of the 121-story Shanghai Tower in China, which began back in 1993, was completed earlier this year, and finishing work is now underway. Let's find out how the construction went and how this tower looks today.

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The Shanghai Tower is an ultra-tall building, currently the tallest in the Chinese city of Shanghai, in the Pudong area. After the tower is completed, this building should become the tallest building in China, surpassing in height even such buildings as the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. According to the project, the height of the building will be about 650 meters, and the total area - 380 thousand m?. The construction of the tower should be completed in 2014. When completed, the tower building will be the third tallest building in the world, behind only the Burj Khalifa in the UAE, whose height is 828 meters, and the Tree of Heaven in Tokyo, which is 634 meters high. In August 2013, the tower building was completed to roof level.

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According to Fang Qingqiang, chief engineer of the project, the Shanghai Tower will house offices, shops, a five-star hotel, exhibition and conference halls, as well as recreation and entertainment areas.

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With the completion of the construction of the main structures of the building, work began to attract businessmen to the development of this complex, said Gu Jianping, president of the Shanghai Tower developer company. The new building will help meet the strong demand for comfortable and luxurious office space, he said, while Shanghai is actively developing into an international financial center and free trade zone.

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A skyscraper designed by the large American company Gensler. The spiral-curved tower, even at its unfinished 580-meter form, is already actually the tallest building in China, surpassing the previous record holder, the 492-meter high-rise of the World Trade Center located next door.

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However, even after commissioning next year, the Shanghai Tower will not long take the lead in the race of Chinese skyscrapers: in 2016, it is planned to complete the construction of the 660-meter Pingan International Financial Center in Shenzhen. In addition, the construction of the Sky City Tower in Changsha, 838 meters high, has recently begun, but a few days later, due to lack of necessary permits, it was frozen.

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In recent years, skyscraper construction on an unprecedented scale has unfolded throughout China. The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and the Urban Environment predicts that by 2020, China will have six of the ten tallest buildings in the world.

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When completed in 2014, the spiral megastructure, along with the neighboring Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center Tower, will complete the grand ensemble of three skyscrapers.

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Shanghai Tower nominated for LEED Gold certification. The Shanghai Tower is built from nine cylinders stacked one on top of the other. The inner volume forms the building itself, while the outer façade creates a shell that rises up, rotating 120 degrees and giving the Shanghai Tower a curved appearance. The space between the two layers of the façade is created by nine sky garden atriums.

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Just like in many other towers, the atrium of the Shanghai Tower traditionally houses restaurants, cafes and shops surrounded by lush landscaping in tandem with a large number of entrances to the tower and subway stations under the building. The interior of the Shanghai Tower and the transparent exterior skins create a visual connection between the interior of the tower and the urban fabric of Shanghai.

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The tower will have the fastest elevators in the world, specially designed for it by Mitsubishi using innovative technologies. The double-height elevator cabins will carry the building's occupants and visitors skyward at 40 mph (17.88 m/s). The façade's cone, texture, and asymmetry work together to reduce the building's wind load by 24 percent. This will save building materials in the amount of $58 million USD.

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The transparent inner and outer shells of the building bring the maximum amount of natural light into the premises, thereby saving on electrical energy.

The outer shell of the tower insulates the building, reducing energy consumption for heating and cooling. The tower's spiral parapet collects rainwater, which is used to heat the tower and the air conditioning system. Wind turbines located directly under the parapet generate power on site for the upper floors of the building.

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Architects: Gensler
Owner, Developer . Contractor: Shanghai Tower Building & Development Co., Ltd.
Local Design Institute: Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University

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Civil Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Mep Engineer: Cosentini Associates
Landscape architect: SWA
Plot area: 30,370 square meters. Building area: 380,000 square meters above ground level; 141,000 square meters below ground level
Floors of the building: 121 floors
Height: 632 meters
Area: 0.0 sq.m.
Release year: 2014
Photos: Courtesy Gensler

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View from the 121st floor of the skyscraper.

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And of course, it is worth noting that in our country, and in some places in the world, this tower became known thanks to reckless Russian roofers:

Skyscrapers of Shanghai: Shanghai Tower June 4th, 2015

I have already told you about the two skyscrapers in this picture. Here, and here. But now we'll talk about this twisted highest of the three.

The construction of the 121-story Shanghai Tower in China, which began back in 1993, was completed earlier this year, and finishing work is now underway.

Here's how the construction went:

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When completed in 2014, the spiral megastructure, along with the neighboring Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center Tower, will complete the grand ensemble of three skyscrapers.

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The transparent inner and outer shells of the building bring the maximum amount of natural light into the premises, thereby saving on electrical energy.

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Architects: Gensler
Owner, Developer . Contractor: Shanghai Tower Building & Development Co., Ltd.
Local Design Institute: Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University

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The Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in the Chinese city of Shanghai and the third tallest building in the world (the first place is occupied by the Burj Khalifa in the UAE, the second is the Tokyo Sky Tree). It left the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower far behind. Height of the Shanghai Tower – 634 meters, and the area - 380 thousand square meters.

Construction of the Shanghai Tower

Asia's tallest tower was only a few years under construction. In June 2009, a foundation pit was dug, and the construction of the first floors began. In August 2013, a solemn ceremony was held in Shanghai to erect the last beam at a height of 632 meters, that is, the skyscraper was brought to roof level. The façade cladding was completed in September 2014 and all interior work completed in 2015.

The construction of the Shanghai Tower from the very beginning caused a lot of controversy whether the city needed another skyscraper. Since 1993, it was planned that the Lujiazui financial district of Shanghai would be an architectural group of three skyscrapers.

That is why the tower was erected, and today it symbolizes the power of the city, along with the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower, which are part of the ensemble.

The building is divided into nine vertical zones and is clad in a transparent glass shell that protects it from bad weather and provides natural ventilation.

Description

The tower is located in the center of the business district. Since its opening, it has attracted the attention of everyone - and not only for its dimensions, but also for its architectural design, which is no longer repeated on the planet. The appearance of the skyscraper organically combines traditional Chinese concepts and modern technologies.

At the base of the tower are reinforced concrete cylinders, on top of which nine cylinders are put on top of each other. The internal volume is the building itself, and the external facade forms a shell that rises up, while rotating 120 degrees.

Thanks to this, the Shanghai Tower received a curved appearance and protection from wind loads, and it was also possible to save up to 25% of steel on structures.

The use of modern technology has made the Shanghai Tower the most environmentally friendly skyscraper. Alternative energy sources are used for heating and cooling.

What is inside

The lowest floor of the Shanghai Tower is dedicated to the historical museum of the city. Its unusual interior and wax figures reflect the life of local residents. Genre episodes are recreated using emeralds, jade, agate, jasper and pearls on a huge screen, for which natural stone was chosen.

Each area of the tower contains shops and galleries. At the bottom among them is Space City, an entertainment center where you can immerse yourself in the world of science fiction and appreciate the technological achievements of China. There is a hotel in the middle of the building. Also inside there is a restaurant, the peculiarity of which is that it rotates around its axis, a concert hall and a club.

In the Shanghai Tower, you can see gardens that collect rainwater and convert it into energy needed to heat the building and run air conditioners.

observation decks

Immediately after the construction, the Shanghai Tower in China became the main symbol of the city and an interesting tourist attraction. The skyscraper attracts about 2.8 million travelers annually. Inside, optimal conditions have been created for visitors: shops, souvenir shops and other establishments that allow you to have fun.

In addition, the tower has several viewing platforms. Unforgettable impressions can be obtained already in the process of climbing the elevator. From the highest point offers a breathtaking view of the city. Shanghai looks especially beautiful in the evening. And in clear and cloudless weather, you can see the Yangtze River.

Records

High-speed elevators are installed in the Shanghai Tower, rising up at a speed of eighteen meters per second. The building is equipped with 106 Mitsubishi Electric elevators, three of which are high-speed and reach a record height of 578 meters, breaking the Burj Khalifa record of 504 meters.

Between the 84th and 110th floors is the Four Seasons Hotel, the highest on the planet. It has 260 rooms in total. The Shanghai Tower provides a unique opportunity to see the city from a height of 557 meters.

The construction of the tower cost investors $2.4 billion.

The cost of the entrance ticket to visit the observation decks of the tower is 200 yuan.
It is forbidden to bring piercing and cutting objects, water and lighters into the building.
The Shanghai Tower was originally supposed to be a pale green, but the designers scrapped that idea so the building wouldn't get lost against the backdrop of a vibrant and vibrant city.
The color of the tower, depending on the time of day, can change from pink to pearly, at night the backlight turns on.
In the elevator, you can look at the ceiling. There is a monitor broadcasting a video about the rise to a height.