China is still the world’s fastest growing economy, and central to this is the city of Shanghai. The city itself is fast emerging as a major centre for global trade and commerce, and predictably the number of skyscrapers in the city is increasing rapidly in line with is. We took a look at the top 3 building projects happening in Shanghai right now, and what makes them so inspirational.
1. Shanghai Tower
At present, this is set to be the second tallest building in the whole world upon its planned completion in 2014. So far, the only confirmed residents will be a hotel, which, covering almost 30 floors of the building, will be the world’s tallest.
The Shanghai Tower has been built with the environment in mind, with the design of the building aimed at significantly reducing wind loads, meaning less steel has been needed in the structure. The building will also use wind turbines to generate a large portion of the buildings’ electricity.
2. White Magnolia Plaza
Unfortunately, construction on this building is currently on hold. The design of the building has been changed and amended on numerous occasions, leading to problems in the on-going construction. Once building resumes and this skyscraper is finished, however, it will serve as one of the tallest and most attractive office blocks in the entire Hongkou District.
3. Bionic Tower
Although this project is still at the proposal stage, the sheer enormity and audacity of the project simply has to be seen to be believed. The Bionic Tower is proposed as a vertical city, which will eventually have over 100,000 inhabitants. The idea behind this project is the motivation to find environmentally friendly ways of incorporating an ever expanding population.
This building could yet end up being constructed in Hong Kong rather than Shanghai, however it remains one of the most inspirational and daring proposals currently preparing to be undertaken.
The Shanghai Skyline
Wherever you look around the city of Shanghai, there are inspirational building designs and structures that simply take the breath away. With internal competition throughout the country, as well as the desire to position China as a leading economic powerhouse for the entire world, the height of the buildings and brilliance of their design and appearance is simply going to continue increasing.
Where New York City and London once stood as the place all businesses simply need to have a base, Shanghai is quickly taking over that mantle, if it has not done so already. This ambition and economic strength is manifesting itself in the stunning architecture of the city, and will do so for many years to come.
This is a guest post from Vector Foiltec. Vector Foiltec invented the use of Texlon (mainly used in ETFE roofs), and have developed the use of this innovative technology worldwide in the design and constructive industry. Some of the world’s most impressive offices, stadiums, and transport buildings have been developed by Vector-Foiltec.
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