China's tallest building opens. Wow!
barryb
August 29, 2008, 01:30 PM posted in General Discussion101 floors... look out of the window, the Oriental Pearl Tower looks like a traffic bollard! Two minute video here (includes an interview with the owner).
bazza
August 29, 2008, 07:00 PMIf I filter 'My Conversations' it shows a preview of the original comment I made but if I click on it, it ends up here.
The original may still exist somewhere, if you could track down the original topic number somehow.
calkins
August 29, 2008, 12:03 AMIt's really a beautiful building. I'm wondering if someone (urbandweller perhaps) might be able to answer a question about the square aperture at the top. I've heard that many Japanese-designed skyscrapers have openings in them, similar to this, to allow evil spirits to pass through (I'm not sure if that's fact or fiction). Anyone know if this opening has a similar function?
urbandweller
August 29, 2008, 12:19 AMhey calkins
honestly i dont know enough about ancient asian architecture so i am not too sure about the evil spirit thing....
Now I am studying to be an architect not a structural engineer so...i can only geuss that the elliptical opening would cut down on the "wind load" at the top. The easier wind can flow around (or thru) a building the less force there will be pushing on the top of that thing...
and also it just looks cool!!:)
calkins
August 29, 2008, 12:30 AMDefinitely looks cool! You're right about the opening being there to reduce wind stress. It also has some design purpose...got this interesting tidbit from the Wiki:
The most distinctive feature in the design of the building is an aperture at the peak. The original design specified a circular aperture, 46 m (151 ft) in diameter, to reduce the stresses of wind pressure[6], as well as serve as a subtext for the design, since "Chinese mythology represents the earth with a square and the sky with a circle"[6]. It also resembled a Chinese moon gate due to its circular form in Chinese architecture. However, this initial design began facing protests from some Chinese, including the mayor of Shanghai, who considered it too similar to the rising sun design of the Japanese flag. Pedersen then suggested that a bridge be placed at the bottom of the aperture to make it less circular.[7] On 18 October 2005, KPF submitted an alternative design to Mori Building and a trapezoidal hole replaced the circle at the top of the tower, which in addition to changing the controversial design, will also be cheaper and easier to implement according to the architects.
calkins
August 29, 2008, 12:31 AMI wonder if there's any way to move this conversation to the Architecture group.
urbandweller
August 29, 2008, 05:17 AMyeah i wonder that too calkins...is it possible to move a post?? as you are aware, i am not computer saavy enough to know that!! ha ha
anyways, thanks for the additional info on the tower...wow i acutally geussed right about the wind thing!! I just know i deal with that on all my buildings regardless of height...obviously taller buildings deal with all the same forces but at a much higher level...no pun intended!
Ok so this is how you say it in 中文。。。
The Shanghai World Financial Center
simplified Chinese: 上海环球金融中心
traditional Chinese: 上海環球金融中心
pinyin: Shànghǎi huánqiú jīnróng zhōngxīn
barryb
August 29, 2008, 12:00 AMNew Praxis HQ?
barryb
August 29, 2008, 01:35 PMSorry! I tried to assign my post to the Architecture group by opening the Edit, changing the Group in the drop-down box, then saving.
Unfortunately, it seems to have wiped all your posts and beautiful photos.
I won't try that again! Maybe Chinesepod staff can get them back?
bazza
August 29, 2008, 02:11 PMI made the same mistake a while back, thought the bug might have been fixed by now, I guess not.
urbandweller
August 29, 2008, 04:12 PM啊呀! 不好!!
barryb
August 29, 2008, 05:10 PMI realise it might be time-consuming to write code to allow the changing of a post's group, but it should be quite easy to block attempts to do this by setting visibility=no (or equivalent) for the drop-down on the edit page, when the post already exists.
Or, very easy to put a warning on the screen: "If you're editing an existing post, do NOT attempt to change the Group." That would take just a few minutes?
urbandweller
August 29, 2008, 06:35 PMhey eyux
i am bummed that we lost all the responses to your cool post...wish we could get it back!
help cpod!
:)
bazza
August 29, 2008, 06:08 AMI bet Alain Robert will want to climb that one. I think he was banned from China for 3 years after climbing the Jinmao tower last year though.
urbandweller
August 28, 2008, 11:58 PMso its finally done! I remember when i was on the 88th floor of the Jin Mao tower last Spring and looking UP at that beast! is it jsut me or does it kinda look like a giant bottle opener??!! ha ha!
SHANGHAI, China (AP) — China's tallest building, the 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center, will open to the public on Saturday, 14 years after its developer began the project.
Japanese property tycoon Minoru Mori expressed relief Thursday at having finally finished the project after years of stop-and-go progress on what he says is the building with the world's highest rooftop, at 1,614 feet, and its highest observation deck.
From the top floor observation deck, where transparent patches of flooring allow visitors a dizzying look to ground level, the view of Shanghai is sweeping and spectacular.
The silver spire of the 1,381-foot Jinmao Tower next door, formerly the city's tallest building, lies far below.
Mori acquired the Shanghai site in 1994 and began piling work in 1997 — just as the Asian financial crisis hit. The land sat idle until 2003.
Over the years, the building's height was raised to make it the world's tallest building, but it will never claim the title. The Burj Dubai became the world's tallest building in July 2007. A few months later it became the world's tallest freestanding structure, soaring higher than 1,800 feet. It is still under construction — its final height a closely guarded secret.
Previously, Taiwan's Taipei 101 had been the world's tallest building, with spires that reach 1,667 feet. The tallest building in the United States, the Sears Tower in Chicago, comes in at 1,451 feet. Before they were destroyed in the Sept, 11, 2001, attacks, the World Trade Center towers both topped 1,360 feet. The Freedom Tower being planned for the site will measure 1,776 feet when it's completed in 2011.