CTBUH Study Examines Tallest Buildings with Dampers
22 August 2018 - CTBUH Research
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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."
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).
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."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
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).
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).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
The current legal building name.
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.
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.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
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.
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 a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Reinforced 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.
Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/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 in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.
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."
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).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).
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.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Proposed
Construction Start
Completed
Marketing
Quantity Surveyor
(not specified)
Cladding
Elevator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Formwork
Sealants
Steel
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Marketing
Quantity Surveyor
(not specified)
Cladding
Elevator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Formwork
Paint/Coating
Sealants
Steel
2008 CTBUH Awards
2018 CTBUH Awards
2008 CTBUH Awards
22 August 2018 - CTBUH Research
12 September 2017 - CTBUH Research
16 August 2018 | Shanghai
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The Shanghai World Financial Center is a symbol of commerce and culture that speaks to the city’s emergence as a global capital. Located in Shanghai’s Pudong District, the mixed-used Shanghai World Financial Center is a vertical city, containing 62 office floors, conference facilities, urban retail and dining spaces, and a 174-room five-star Park Hyatt Hotel at the top—the world’s highest hotel from the 79th to 93rd floors. Above the hotel, at the 94th to 100th floors, is a visitors’ square and observatory.
Shaped by the intersection of two sweeping arcs and a square prism—shapes representing ancient Chinese symbols of heaven and earth, respectively—the tower’s tapering form supports programmatic efficiencies, from large floor plates at its base for offices to rectilinear floors near the top for hotel rooms. Its boldest feature, the 164-foot-wide portal carved through its upper levels relieves the enormous wind pressures on the building. The project activates the ground plane through function-specific entrance volumes (e.g., hotel, office and retail) that extend from its stone-clad base. To further connect the activities of the building to the city, the retail volume is oriented toward a public park planned for an adjacent site.
Optimizing form and function was paramount to the design, integrating the structure, mechanical systems, and exterior envelope in a modular system that repeats every 13 floors to facilitate the fabrication and installation of components, and, in turn, reduce construction time, material waste, and structural inefficiencies. The purity of the tower’s design belies the inherent complexity of the various building systems within, and is readily adaptable to the changing programmatic requirements that often arise during the long timeline of such a large project, as well as to the changing needs of building users.
The project was put on hold in 1995 after the completion of the foundations. When revived in 1999 the height and base dimensions were both increased from the original design. Reinforcing the existing piles to accommodate these changes would have been possible but costly. The new, taller structure would not only have to be made lighter, but would need to resist higher wind loads, which increase exponentially with height.
The project’s structural engineer developed a new system, employing composite mega-columns, diagonal mega-braces, steel out-riggers, belt trusses, and core wall trusses, the pile loads were redistributed to accept increased lateral loads from wind and earthquake. The stiffness of the lateral force-resisting system of the perimeter wall was increased, and as such, the original design for the perimeter framing was abandoned in favor of a diagonal-braced frame with added outrigger trusses coupled to the columns of the mega-structure. This enabled the weight of the building to be reduced by more than 10% and resulted in a reduced cost for the structure, provided for speedier construction, and significantly reduced the material that went into the building and thus made the building even more environmentally friendly.
2008 CTBUH Awards
2018 CTBUH Awards
2008 CTBUH Awards
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William Pedersen, Principal, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, sat down with CTBUH to discuss his vision for the iconic Shanghai World Financial Center, which was recognized...
30 May 2018 | Shanghai
The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) is a symbol of commerce and culture that speaks to the city’s emergence as a global capital. Located in...
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17 September 2014 | Shanghai
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20 March 2020
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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...
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Tall buildings which began from about 40 m tall office towers in the late 19th century have evolved into mixed-use megatall towers over 800 m....
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CTBUH has released a Tall Buildings in Numbers (TBIN) interactive data study on the world's tallest buildings with dampers.
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The Council is pleased to announce the Top Company Rankings for numerous disciplines as derived from the list of projects appearing in 100 of the World’s Tallest Buildings.
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Delegates met at the lobby of the Shanghai World Financial Center for a tour, led by executives of Mori Building, of one of Shanghai’s most recognizable landmarks.
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