3
Global
Height rank

Shanghai Tower

Shanghai
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
632 m / 2,073 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
632 m / 2,073 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
583.4 m / 1,914 ft
1 2 3 Shanghai Tower
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
128
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
5
Height 632 m / 2,073 ft
Floors 128
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Shanghai Tower

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Shanghai Center

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2015

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

China

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Shanghai

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Hotel / Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Concrete-Steel Composite

Energy Label

LEED Platinum BD+C: Core and Shell

Official Website

Shanghai Tower

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

632 m / 2,073 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
632 m / 2,073 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
583.4 m / 1,914 ft
Observatory
562.1 m / 1,844 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

128

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

5

# of Hotel Rooms
Number of Hotel Rooms refers to the total number of hotel rooms contained within a particular building.

258

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

1794

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

106

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

20.5 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

420,000 m² / 4,520,842 ft²

Rankings

#
3
Tallest in the World
#
2
Tallest in Asia
#
1
Tallest in China
#
1
Tallest in Shanghai

Construction Schedule

2008

Proposed

2009

Construction Start

2015

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Peer Review

The Peer Review Engineer traditionally comments on the information produced by another party, and to render second opinions, but not to initiate what the design looks like from the start.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Peer Review

The Peer Review Engineer traditionally comments on the information produced by another party, and to render second opinions, but not to initiate what the design looks like from the start.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Damping
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Façade Maintenance
Geotechnical
Landscape
Life Safety
Property Management
Vertical Transportation
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Façade Maintenance Equipment
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Peer Review

The Peer Review Engineer traditionally comments on the information produced by another party, and to render second opinions, but not to initiate what the design looks like from the start.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Peer Review

The Peer Review Engineer traditionally comments on the information produced by another party, and to render second opinions, but not to initiate what the design looks like from the start.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Shanghai Jianke Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd.
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Shanghai Construction Group
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Cost
Shanghai Shenyuan Property Consultants; Rider Levett Bucknall
Damping
Energy Concept
KoopX; CEES-Advisors; Vidaris, Inc.
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Façade Maintenance
Geotechnical
Landscape
Life Safety
Lighting
Brandston Partnership, Inc.; PHA Lighting Design; Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences
Parking
Walker Parking Consultants
Property Management
Vertical Transportation
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Aluminium
Guangdong JMA Aluminium Profile Factory (Group) Co., Ltd.
Ceiling
Armstrong World Industries
Cladding
Kuraray; Jangho Group Co., Ltd.; Wuhan Lingyun Building Decoration Engineering Co Ltd.; Yuanda
Elevator
Mitsubishi Elevator and Escalator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Manntech; HighRise Systems, Incorporated
HVAC
Feng Shen Group
Paint/Coating
Jotun; AkzoNobel
Steel
Bao Steel Group; Jiangsu Huning Steel Mechanism Co., Ltd.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Worldwide 2016 Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

China Innovation 2016 China Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building, by Region, Asia & Australasia 2016 Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

 

CTBUH Initiatives

CTBUH President Returns to China, Speaking in Four Cities and Sitting on International Design Competition Jury

14 June 2023 - CTBUH News

CTBUH China Participates in Vertical Marathon

25 November 2018 - Event

Videos

03 November 2016 | Shanghai

A Vernacular Megatall: Shanghai Tower

As the tallest building in China upon completion, Shanghai Tower has had an immediate and profound impact on the country’s perceptions of how a skyscraper...

Research

22 August 2022

Structural Design of Iconic Tower, Egypt: Culmination of a Concrete Optimization Process

Tarek Hassan, Yehia El-Ezaby & Charles Malek, rector Dar Al Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners)

This paper presents an overview of a process of optimizing concrete mixture for tall buildings, culminating in the design of the Iconic Tower, the key...

Global News

10 July 2020

Shanghai Tower Starts Repairs on Water Leak

Videos surfaced on Monday 6 July, 2020 after tenants from the 9th to the 60th floors of Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, found...

 

About Shanghai Tower

As the third tower in the trio of signature skyscrapers at the heart of Shanghai’s new Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai Tower embodies a new prototype for tall buildings. Placed in close proximity to Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center, the new tower rises high above the skyline, its curved façade and spiraling form symbolizing the dynamic emergence of modern China. But its twisting form goes beyond just creating a unique appearance; wind tunnel tests confirm a 24 percent savings in structural wind loading when compared to a rectangular building of the same height.

More than a landmark, the mixed-use tower offers a sustainable way of living in a vertical city, with a unique mix of restaurants, shops, offices, and hotels spaced throughout the building. The tower’s program is organized into nine vertical zones. Each of these vertical neighborhoods rise from a sky lobby, a light-filled garden atrium that creates a sense of community and supports daily life with a varied program catering to tenants and visitors. The sky lobbies function much like traditional town plazas and squares, bringing people together throughout the day. These civic spaces recall the city’s historic open courtyards, which merge interiors with exteriors in a landscaped setting.

Shanghai Tower is one of the most sustainably advanced tall buildings in the world. A central aspect of its design is the transparent second skin that wraps around the entire building. The ventilated atriums it encloses conserve energy by modulating the temperature within the void. The space acts as a buffer between the inside and outside, warming up the cool outside air in the winter and dissipating heat from the interior in the summer. The tower also notably employs a tri-cogeneration system, a grey water/rainwater system, and several renewable energy sources.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Worldwide 2016 Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

China Innovation 2016 China Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building, by Region, Asia & Australasia 2016 Winner

2016 CTBUH Awards

03 November 2016 | Shanghai

A Vernacular Megatall: Shanghai Tower

As the tallest building in China upon completion, Shanghai Tower has had an immediate and profound impact on the country’s perceptions of how a skyscraper...

03 November 2016 | Shanghai

Interview: Shanghai Tower

Jianping Gu, General Manager, Shanghai Tower C&D, & Grant Uhlir, Managing Director, Gensler, are interviewed by Chris Bentley regarding Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, the 2016 CTBUH...

18 October 2016 | Shanghai

CTBUH Video Interview – Andrew Nicholson

Andrew Nicholson of CBRE is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Andrew discusses the building management of the Shanghai Tower.

17 October 2016 | Shanghai

CTBUH Video Interview – Claude Bojer Godefroy

Claude Bojer Godefroy of Henning Larsen Architects is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Claude discusses the design process for interior...

17 October 2016 | Shanghai

CTBUH Video Interview – Jianping Gu

Jianping Gu of Shanghai Tower Construction & Development is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Jianping discusses the economics of constructing...

17 October 2016 | Shanghai

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Monday October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti, presents at the 2016 China Conference Session 4c: Structural & Geotechnic Engineering. As the...

17 October 2016 | Shanghai

Mixed Use Tall Buildings – The Challenges and Benefits of Vertical Urbanization

Monday October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Samuel So, JLL, presents at the 2016 China Conference Session 3c: Building Operation. China is the global epicenter of...

17 October 2016 | Shanghai

Panel Discussion: Future Cities: What are the Biggest Threats and Opportunities?

Monday, October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. A panel discussing the challenges of growing urban populations throughout the globe.

18 September 2014 | Shanghai

2014 Shanghai International Conference - Shanghai Tower Room, S4 - Q & A

2014 Shanghai International Conference Shanghai Tower Room, S4 Questions & Answers session with speakers Duanxue Shi, Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Zhijun He, Tongji Architectural...

18 September 2014 | Shanghai

A Review of the Shanghai Tower Structural Performance Monitoring Project

The Shanghai Tower features performance monitoring systems that help dynamically observe risks, quality levels, and structural states under extreme weather conditions – both during construction...

22 August 2022

Structural Design of Iconic Tower, Egypt: Culmination of a Concrete Optimization Process

Tarek Hassan, Yehia El-Ezaby & Charles Malek, rector Dar Al Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners)

This paper presents an overview of a process of optimizing concrete mixture for tall buildings, culminating in the design of the Iconic Tower, the key...

20 March 2020

Interactive Study on The Tallest 20 in 2020: Then and Now

CTBUH Research

This research paper undertakes a review of the 2012 report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, “Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the...

31 January 2019

Interactive Study on Tall Buildings in Numbers: 2018 Year in Review

CTBUH Research

In 2018, 143 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed. This is a slight decrease from 2017’s record-breaking total of 147, and it...

30 July 2018

World’s Tallest Buildings with Dampers

CTBUH Research

As tall buildings continue to be built in seismically-active and cyclone-prone areas, the need to augment the structures of these buildings with dynamic modification devices...

01 March 2017

Foundation Differential Settlement Included Time-dependent Elevation Control for Supertall Structures

Xin Zhao, Tongji University; Shehong Liu, Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd.

Due to the time-dependent properties of materials, structures, and loads, accurate time-dependent effects analysis and precise construction controls are very significant for rational analysis and...

17 October 2016

Humanizing the Giants

Swinal Samant, National University of Singapore

The rise in sustainable skyscrapers and large-scale mixed-use buildings has seen the proliferation of atria and sky-courts worldwide due to their ability to simultaneously contribute...

17 October 2016

Mixed Use Tall Buildings – The Challenges and Benefits of Vertical Urbanization

Samuel So, Colin Dowall & Michael George, JLL

China is the global epicenter of mankind’s mass urbanization and the exploding growth of global cities. China is the unrivaled leader in the development of...

19 January 2016

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2015

Jason Gabel, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH

CTBUH has determined that 106 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed around the world in 2015 – setting a new record for...

01 December 2015

Numerical Simulation of Temperature Gradients for the Mass Concrete Foundation Slab of Shanghai Tower

Jian Gong & Xiaoping Wu, Shanghai Construction Group; Weijiu Cui & Yong Yuan, Tongji University

Crack control remains a primary concern for mass concrete structures, where the majority of cracking is caused by temperature changes during the hydration process. One-time...

26 October 2015

Context, Climate, Culture – Investigating Place in Tall Building Design

Robert Goodwin, Perkins + Will

Should a tower in Moscow look like one in Dubai? Once one entered a city and marveled at the unique magic of its architecture –...

14 June 2023

CTBUH President Returns to China, Speaking in Four Cities and Sitting on International Design Competition Jury

In early June 2023, CTBUH President Dr. Antony Wood and CTBUH Asia Regional Director Dr. Peng Du traveled to China and spoke at events in four cities: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Wuxi, and Shanghai. At each event, the CTBUH mission and upcoming CTBUH conferences in Asia were introduced, and Wood gave a presentation on "10 Principles for a New High Rise Architecture."

25 November 2018

CTBUH China Participates in Vertical Marathon

CTBUH China participated in the Shanghai Tower International Vertical Marathon, climbing to the 119th floor of the building.

22 August 2018

CTBUH Study Examines Tallest Buildings with Dampers

CTBUH has released a Tall Buildings in Numbers (TBIN) interactive data study on the world's tallest buildings with dampers.

12 September 2017

Vertical Transportation: Ascent & Acceleration

CTBUH partnered with Guinness World Records to identify the commercial building with the fastest elevator speeds and longest vertical runs.

28 August 2017

Shanghai Tower Completes Art Space Atop Damper

Officials of Shanghai Tower opened the building's highly-anticipated Summit 632 space, making it the second-highest occupiable space in the world after the Burj Khalifa, Dubai.

5 July 2017

Asia Pacific Seminar Series

CTBUH Singapore, in coordination with CTBUH Malaysia and CTBUH Thailand, hosted a multi-city seminar on sustainable design in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok.

24 May 2017

Partnered Event Explores High-Performance Skyscraper Design

CTBUH, ComEd, and Seventhwave partnered to host a breakfast seminar focused on high-performance building envelope design with the goal of identifying opportunities for energy savings.

17 January 2017

SuperTEC Visit to CTBUH China Office

The CTBUH China Office hosted a visit from SuperTEC, a consortium of researchers and practitioners from Korea University and Dankook University in Seoul.

19 December 2016

Top 12 Happenings of 2016, Month-by-Month

Check out the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's top stories of 2016 for each month and take a look ahead with the Council’s monthly predictions for 2017.

4 November 2016

CTBUH Names Shanghai Tower “2016 Best Tall Building Worldwide”

The CTBUH Awards Jury named Shanghai Tower, Shanghai as the “2016 Best Tall Building Worldwide” at the 15th Annual CTBUH Awards Ceremony and Dinner.