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The Shanghai World Financial Center
The Shanghai World Financial Center was created as a supertall multi-use skyscraper. It has hotel rooms, office buildings, and even a shopping mall.
Construction
The Shanghai World Financial Center was designed by architect Kohn Pederson Fox and then was developed by the Mori Building Company. The Financial Center is one of China's tallest buildings at 1,614.2 feet. The original design featured a circle at the top, rather than a rectangle. This design was met with resistance from the mayor of Shanghai, who said that it looked to similar to the rising sun on the flag of Japan. Because of this, a new design was created, which featured the cheaper and easier option of a trapezoid like shape at the top of the building. Although it may seem as though this shape is only for looks, it plays a very important role in the structure of the building. This rectangle allows the wind to pass through it and reduces the stress of wind pressure on the building. The building was completed on July 17, 2008
Materials
This building used state of the art materials in the construction. The trapezoid shape at the top is made using reinforced concrete and structural steel. The building is held up by a diagonal braced frame that carries all the compressive forces from the building down to the ground and reduces the stress on the structure.
Challenges
The Shanghai World Financial Center encountered many difficulties in the process of construction. In 1997-98, the funding was cut, stalling the project after the foundations had already been laid. This halted work on the structure for an entire year. Then, in August 2007, a part of the building caught fire. No damage was reported but that must have been quite a scare for any involved in the construction of the building.
Relationship to Traditional Chinese Architecture
As a modern building, it is very hard for the Shanghai World Financial Center to align with traditional Chinese architecture. For example, many classical Chinese buildings focused heavily on width. with less height. This building is quite the opposite. Many traditional Chinese structures have religious items such as door gods, which were displayed over doors, used to ward off evil spirits. Of course being a modern building, there no such religious items in the Shanghai World Financial Center.