Shanghai World Financial Center / KPF / China

Shanghai World Financial Center

Park Hyatt Shanghai

• Architects:  Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, Mori Building, Irie Miyake Architects & Engineers 
• Location:  Shanghai, China
• Client/Developer:  Mori Building Company
• Owner:  Shanghai World Financial Center Co., Ltd. 
• Type:  Civic + Cultural, Hospitality, Mixed-Use, Office, Retail, Super-tall  
• Architect of Record:  East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Company 
• Size:  381,600 m2 / 4,107,600 ft2  
• Height:  492 m / 1,614 ft  
• Units:  174 rooms
• Project Proposed:  1994,  Construction started:  1997,  Completed:  2008
• Structural Engineer:  Leslie E. Robertson Associates
• MEP Engineer:  Kenchiku Setsubi Sekkei Kenkyusho
• Main Contractor:  China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Shanghai Construction Group
• Quantity Surveyor:  Langdon & Seah
• Facade Consultant:  ALT Limited, Permasteelisa Group
• Fire Consultant:  Rolf Jensen & Associates
• Wind Consultant:  Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group
• Elevator Consultant:  Hitachi Ltd., Otis Elevator Company, Thyssenkrupp, Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation (TELC)
• Structural Material:  Composite (Core: Reinforced Concrete;  Columns: Concrete Encased Steel;  Floor Spanning: Steel)

One of KPF's most highly recognized and award winning projects, the Shanghai World Financial Center has stood as a symbol of commerce and culture since its completion in 2008.

A virtual city within a city, the super-tall structure houses a mix of office and retail uses, as well as the Park Hyatt Shanghai on the 79th to 93rd floors. Occupying the tower's uppermost floors, the SWFC Sky Arena offers visitors aerial views of the historic Lujiazui and winding river below and the chance to walk almost 500 meters above the city via the 100th floor Sky Walk.

A square prism, the symbol used by the ancient Chinese to represent the earth, is intersected by two cosmic arcs, representing the heavens, as the tower ascends in gesture to the sky. The interaction between these two realms gives rise to the building's form, carving a square sky portal at the top of the tower that lends balance to the structure and links the two opposing elements, the heaven and the earth.

The collaboration with the project's structural engineer, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, the team arrived at an innovative structural solution that abandoned the original concrete frame structure in favor of a diagonal-braced frame with outrigger trusses coupled to the columns of the mega-structure. This enabled the weight of the building to be reduced by more than 10% consequently reducing the use of materials and resulting in a more transparent structure in visual and conceptual harmony with the tower's elegant form.

The Mega-Structure concept to resist the forces from typhoon (hurricane) winds and earthquakes, three parallel and interacting structural systems were introduced:

1. The mega-column, consisting of the major structural columns, the diagonals, and the belt trusses.
2. The concrete shear walls of the services core.
3. As created by the outrigger trusses, the interaction between these concrete walls and the mega-columns.

In order to decrease the weight of the building, the majority of that decrease had to be found in a reduction of the thickness of the concrete shear walls of the services core. This reduction was achieved by decreasing the wind and earthquake-induced lateral forces resisted by those walls. That decrease was found by significantly increasing the stiffness of the lateral force resisting system of the perimeter wall and by decreasing the stiffness of the concrete walls of the services core.

The mega-structure is displayed subtly behind the facade of the building. Architecturally founded on a heavy stone base, the mega-structure gives the impression of both strength and of performance. Indeed, it is one of the goals of both KPF and Mori Building to communicate these two attributes while retaining the elegance of the architectural form.

At the time that this project was initiated Green Technology was not mainstream. Currently, it is the guideline of choice. As the project is now advancing SWFC will apply green technology to its interiors, such as formaldehyde-free carpet tiles throughout the entire building. A recycling system will be used by the tenants building-wide, along with education on how to become more recycling conscious. The HVAC system will be variable air volume. Each floor will contain multiple zones for tenant comfort along with high-efficiency.

The Shanghai World Financial Center redirects the creativity and passion of many individuals, all with the common goal of providing a place in which people are encouraged to meet and mingle, share ideas, and give birth to new knowledge, culture and values.