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The construction projects in China, in complete contrast to the ones in other economies, are still alive and kicking. Saturday, 29th November 2008, saw Shanghai officially starting the construction work on its tallest skyscraper, to be called the Shanghai Tower, projected to reach a height of 632 m (2,073 feet). Expected to be the tallest tower in China, it is being erected in Shanghai's Lujiazui financial center.
The upcoming tower will go past Shanghai World Financial Center, the 1,614-foot building that is the highest one in the country at present. With the Chinese economy slowing down and even exporters feeling the effects of deceleration, Shanghai Tower is amongst those government-funded construction projects that are being continued with the aim of stimulating growth and creating jobs. It has been designed by San Francisco-based Gensler Architecture, Design and Planning Worldwide.
A 120-plus floor structure, Shanghai Tower is due to be completed in 2014. It is expected to cost more than 14.8 billion yuan ($ 2.2 billion). The plans for the structure date back to the early 1990s, but the bidding was held only in 2006. The San Francisco-based architects have designed it in a way to get significant savings in heating and cooling costs. Along with that, the tower will make use of rainwater for flushing toilets and wind turbines to provide electricity for powering its outer lighting.
A sinuous glass building, the tower's construction is expected to boost Shanghai's confidence in fighting the financial crisis, as per Gu Jianping, Manager of City-owned, Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co. It is being hoped that by the time the project is completed, the demand for office space will be on the rebound. The other construction projects being undertaken in Shanghai include erection of a massive subway and a complete overhaul and construction of the Expo zone at the waterfront Bund.
