Building Investment (Jan - Feb 2016)

Project Highlight
Shanghai Tower makes the list as
world’s second tallest building
Aurecon provided facade 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.
SEVEN YEARS after construction began, Shanghai Tower has officially
been completed, becoming China’s tallest skyscraper and the focal point
of Shanghai’s skyline. To commemorate this milestone, Shanghai Tower
has been added to the official CTBUH “Current Tallest 20” list, which
presents the world’s tallest 20 buildings as recognised by the CTBUH’s
Height Criteria. In addition, the tower has also achieved impressive
sustainability credentials.
At 632 metres high, Shanghai Tower is the world’s second tallest
building, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is also the world’s tallest
double-skin building, with its distinctive helix-like facade. Global
engineering consulting firm Aurecon provided facade engineering
design for the striking building, working with US architectural firm
Gensler to combine the complex façade with the structure and services
systems. In addition to its work on the facade, Aurecon also collaborated
with New York engineering consultancy, Cosentini Associates, to
provide mechanical, electrical and plumbing design services, including
materials selection and schematic and development design.
The tower’s unique design comprises 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 US Green Building Council and the Chinese threestar
Green Building rating and certification systems into account. The
tower’s sustainability features include greywater recycling systems
located at basement and mid-level to collect water for reuse; 15 3kW
vertical axis wind turbines located on the roof to provide 157,500kWh
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.
“Shanghai Tower is a landmark achievement – both in terms of size
and sustainability – and we are incredibly proud to have been a part of
its construction,” says Margaret Cao, country manager for Aurecon in
China. “It’s exciting to finally see such a long, complex project come to
fruition so that the people of Shanghai can begin to enjoy this building.”
The landmark building will include offices, commercial space, a five-star
hotel, exhibition and conference halls as well as recreational facilities.
Aurecon provides engineering, management and specialist
technical services for public and private sector clients globally.
With an office network extending across 26 countries, Aurecon
has been involved in projects in over 80 countries across Africa, Asia
Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas, and employs around 7,500
people across 12 industry groups.
More information at www.aurecongroup.com
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