![]() However, there is debate about what constitutes a suitable “green” urbanisation strategy for China. ![]() At the World Economic Forum in Dalian in September, Zhang Xiaoqiang, a high-ranking official, said: “Our urbanisation should embody the concepts of green, intensive, intelligent and low-carbon and it does not mean simply building things or enclosing land.” Reckless construction has not only rendered cities less livable, but has depleted natural resources and contributed to the country’s pollution woes.Ĭhina’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) expresses leaders’ aspirations for more balanced development, and recently Premier Li Keqiang has stressed that future construction should be “scientific”. Since 1980 the urban population has grown by 120%, while built-up areas have tripled. “It’s an opportunity for to make a progressive statement to the world about sustainable strategies and they’re also looking at this tower to be a model for future development in China.”Ĭhinese cities are in desperate need of a new development strategy. “Working with the client, we are hoping that the Shanghai Tower sets a new international benchmark for environmental responsiveness,” says Grant Uhlir, the Principal of Gensler. There are more sustainable strategies, but in total the building’s carbon footprint will be reduced by 34,000 metric tonnes per year compared to a typical structure of the same scale, according to Gensler. Locally sourced materials with a high-recycled content have been used where possible, and one third of the interior will be “sky garden” or public green space. ![]() Two curtain walls envelope the building, creating an air pocket to insulate in winter and cool in summer. Cutting edge technologies include wind turbines at the building’s crown that produce 54,000 kWh/year in renewable energy, powering external lighting. In line with the aim to build the most sustainably advanced skyscraper in the world, Gensler, a global architecture firm, has made considerable innovations to earn the building both a LEED Gold standard and a China Green Building three star rating.Ĭomprised of nine vertical zones of 12-15 stories each, the “city within a city” will hold offices, housing, cultural facilities and commercial space. When completed next year the 632-metre tower, which cost an estimated £1.6 bn, will be an architectural showstopper. This allows the building to be unusually light, saving developers some £36 million. But the elegant shape has a more practical application: it works with the wind.ĭesigners refined the twisting, tapering form so that loads would be reduced by 24%. Located in the Pudong financial district, the Shanghai Tower’s spiralling trunk represents China’s emergence as an economic superpower. Though still shrouded in scaffolding, the world’s second tallest building already overshadows its companions in the crowded Shanghai skyline.
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