Dive Brief:
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Building information research company Emporis has named China's $2.4 billion Shanghai Tower the world's best new skyscraper as part of the firm's annual Emporis Skyscraper Awards, New Atlas reported.
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The 2,073-foot, Gensler-designed high rise won the title due to its energy-efficient characteristics and "elegant design," according to Emporis, which gives the tower a 120-degree twist to help it withstand high winds. The building's design reduces wind loads by 24%, which is critical in the typhoon-prone region.
- Sustainable features like double-layered insulating glass, wind turbines to power exterior lighting and a rainwater collection system that feeds into the building's air conditioning and heating setup also won points with Emporis judges.
Dive Insight:
Now that the 120-plus-story skyscraper is complete, it is the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world.
The Shanghai Tower is just one of the many skyscrapers built by Chinese companies in recent years, as evidenced by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's report that just one Chinese firm, CSCEC Group of Companies, has built 21 of the world's 100 tallest buildings. CSCEC, which is owned by the Chinese government, is underway with both the 1,969-foot Ping An Finance Center, in Shenzhen, China, and 2,087-foot Wuhan Greenland Center, in Wuhan, China.
In January, the CTBUH declared that 2016 would be the year of the "megatall" skyscraper. However, it also forecast that enthusiasm for supertall buildings would wane by 2020. In the meantime, the organization predicted that the number of 1,968-foot-plus structures completed globally would rise from three to seven in the next five years.
The 807-foot Evolution Tower in Moscow, designed by RMJM Edinburgh and Kettle Collective, earned second place in the Emporis competition for its even twistier design, with a full 3%-degree shift at each of its 53 floors. Other finalists include the Il Dritto in Milan; Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza in Nanchang, China; Abode318 in Melbourne, Australia; Icon Bay in Miami; D1 Tower in Dubai; 432 Park Avenue in New York City; and the Citygate Tower in Vienna.
