Shanghai World Financial Center

Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHA : Shanghai World Financial Center

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This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the building approaches completion.

The Shanghai World Financial Center (or Shanghai WFC) is a skyscraper that has been intermittently under construction in Shanghai, China. It originally began construction in 1997, but work was temporarily interrupted by the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990s and later to accommodate design changes by the developer. The 101-story tower was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.

Its roof height has been set at 492 m (1614 feet), which on completion in early 2008 is expected to temporarily make it one of the tallest in the world. Architect William Pedersen and developer Minoru Mori have resisted suggestions to add a spire that would surpass that on Taipei 101 and perhaps the Freedom Tower, calling the Shanghai WFC a "broad-shouldered building".

Its most distinctive feature is a hole through the top, above which tourists will be able to walk indoors and outdoors. It was originally meant to be a circle, but the intended design began facing protests from Chinese who considered it too similar to the sun design of the Japanese flag. In mid-2005 KPF submitted an alternative design to Mori Building and a square hole replaced the circle at the top of the tower. An observation deck on the 100th floor is also now part of the final design. The building of the tower is financed by several multinational firms, including Japanese, Chinese, and Hong Kong banks, as well as by the Japanese developer and as-yet unnamed American and European investors. American investment bank Morgan Stanley is coordinating the financing for Mori Building.

Construction

The foundation stone was laid on August 27, 1997. In the late 1990s the Japanese Mori Building Corporation had a fund shortage caused by the Asian financial crisis, which halted the project after the foundations were completed. On February 13, 2003, the Mori Group increased the building's height to 491.9 meters and 101 stories from the initial plans for a 460-meter, 94-story building. The new building will use the foundations of the original design. The building construction resumed on November 16, 2005 [link].

External links

• [Skyscraperpage.com diagram of Shanghai WFC]
• [Emporis.com data page on the Shanghai WFC]
• [Mori Building Co. WFC project page]
• [World Financial Center Construction Picture]
• [Burj Dubai & World Financial Center comparison]
• [Shanghai World Financial Center in 3D on Google Earth]

 

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