china's tallest skyscraper under construction: one floor every four days

china’s tallest skyscraper under construction: one floor every four days
photo from china news service / chen wen

construction is underway in shenzhen at the site of the ‘ping an international finance center’. the supertall skyscraper, which will eventually climb to a height of 660 meters, is envisioned as a landmark structure for the city, containing over 100 office floors above a large podium offering retail outlets and conference facilities. designed by kohn pedersen fox (KPF), the high-rise will be completed at a rapid rate with each storey taking only four days to complete.

located within the city’s central business district, at the southwest corner of the intersection of yi tian road and fu hua road, the scheme connects the neighboring commercial and residential properties. the stone and glass tower will rise at the northeast corner of the site, with façades clad in chevron-shaped verticals which extend from the base of the building. the podium at street level features a similarly glazed envelope, while internal spaces are articulated around a large atrium that serves as a public forum for meeting, shopping and dining. five staggered storeys of retail outlets are positioned to surround the tower, arranged like an amphitheater.

when completed the building will be the tallest in china, and the third tallest structure in the world. however, the project may quickly lose its crown depending on how work progresses at the planned ‘sky city’ development in shanghai.

‘ping an international finance center’ is scheduled for completion by 2016.

image courtesy of kohn pedersen fox associates

china’s tallest skyscraper rises to a height of 660 meters
image courtesy of kohn pedersen fox associates

project info:

location: shenzhen, china
client: ping an insurance company
team: CCDI, associate architect corporate, mixed-use, retail, supertall
size: 4.2 million sqf / 389,000 sqm
height: 660 meters
LEED: gold pre-certified