Landmark achievement

Aurecon has provided façade engineering design for the striking Shanghai Tower, which is now on the official Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) ‘Current Tallest 20’ list.

At 632 m high, the tower’s unique design is comprised of a circular central floor plate enveloped by a suspended outer skin, triangular in plan, twisting as it ascends. This feature was not only included for aesthetics, it also contributes to Shanghai Tower’s functionality and sustainability, greatly reducing wind load and enabling the easy capture of rainwater to be used in the building’s air conditioning and central heating system.

Designed as an eco-building, the Shanghai Tower’s sustainable features took the U.S. Green Building Council and the Chinese 3-Star Green Building rating and certification systems into account. The tower’s sustainability features include grey water recycling systems located at basement and mid-level to collect water for reuse; 15 three kW vertical axis wind turbines located on the roof to provide 157 500 kWh of renewable electricity each year; two sets of natural gas turbines which generate electricity, chilled water and hot water, while reducing carbon dioxide by 49 per cent; as well as a 12-storey ‘sky garden’ created by the interstitial spaces in the form which act as environmental buffer zones and maximise the usage of the double skins.