Society

World's 3rd tallest building design unveiled

By Yan Weijue (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-06-22 14:29

The design scheme for the world's third tallest building is revealed at a press conference in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province Tuesday.

A computer generated image of what the world's 3rd tallest building will look like in Wuhan. [Photo/smithgill.com]

The Wuhan Greenland Center, developed by the Shanghai-based Greenland Group and designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) - who created the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Nanjing Greenland Financial Center - will take five years to build and stand at 606 meters tall.

The tower features a streamlined form with a tapered body, softly rounded corners and a domed top. The three corners rise from its tripod-shaped base and taper upward, culminating in an arched tip above the dome at the top. Smith from the Chicago-based architecture firm says apertures in the curtain wall will help relieve the wind pressure.

He added that the appearance of the skyscraper is inspired by the city's unique landscape that is divided by two rivers into three parts.

With a total floor space of 300,000 square meters when construction finishes in five years, the 5-billion-yuan ($750 million) building will house luxury hotels, office space, high-end stores and apartments.

The skyscraper is part of a planned commercial compound that will cover three million square meters and cost about 30 billion yuan to build.

At a height of 606 meters, it will be dwarfed only by the 632-meter Shanghai Tower, scheduled to be completed in 2014, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest at 828 meters.