Shanghai Tower is a groundbreaking development for China and Asia, spotlighting the latest in tall building technology. Not only will it be the tallest building in China and likely the second tallest in the world, it will represent many breakthroughs in creating a sustainable vertical city for people to live and work.

Nine presentations during the CTBUH World Congress will discuss the design, engineering, and construction of this seminal project. Attend the event to hear from the president of Shanghai Tower Construction & Development as well as senior representatives from Gensler, Tongji Architectural Design Group, Thornton Tomasetti, and other companies involved in this seminal project.

Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co., Ltd. is the top Sponsor of the 2012 Shanghai Congress.

The Shanghai Tower, at 121 floors and 632 meters, will be the tallest building in China when completed in 2015, and likely the second tallest building in the world. More important than its shear height, however, is the innovation it delivers - in its twisting, crystalline form; in the vertical zones of rich multi-functions; in the communal skygardens throughout its height; in its unique environmental technologies; and in the advanced fabrication and construction processes to enable it. In this presentation we gain insight from the owner-developer on the motivations behind the project, and how the project is fast moving to reality.

The realization of one of the most sustainable supertall towers in the world - the Shanghai Tower - was only made possible with the implementation of the latest design ideas, technology, and tools. This presentation centers on the innovative BIM platform that the client and design team utilized to bring this iconic tower to reality. The design process revolved around a series of advanced parametric software programs which allowed the design team to manipulate and refine the project’s complex geometry iteratively. The parametric platform played a pivotal role in assisting the design team to define the tower’s unique and environmentally responsive shape, structure, and façade.

One of the defining features of the Shanghai Tower is the curving, twisting facade. The unique design, implementing an inner and outer curtain wall system which creates an inhabitable “double-skin” zone, made the technical aspects of the façade a challenging task. A flexible hanging curtain wall support structure was ultimately developed to suit the complex needs of the façade. This presentation will discuss the many varied aspects of the envelope system including the structural system development, the static and dynamic interaction with the primary tower structure, and the special connection details.

The construction of Shanghai Tower presented a number of unique construction challenges for the main contractor. In this presentation, Shanghai Construction shares the lessons learned from the complex construction challenges which occurred, describing and summarizing the innovative construction technologies adopted for the construction of the tower's deep foundation pit, large volume concrete foundation mat and steel structure installation.

Systematic problem-solving proposals were required for the curtain wall system and related design elements of Shanghai Tower. These technologies included CAD modeling, BIM analysis, physical measurements, and others in combination with large-scale modeling tests, complete mechanical calculations, pertinent design and construction technologies. This presentation addresses the interior and exterior geometries, suspension systems and complex twisting curtain walls, which are all challenges that surfaced in the design of the façade.

Shanghai Tower consists of five mixed-use zones. The concept for transportation between these zones is to utilize shuttle elevators that access the main lobby of each and then employ satellite elevators for local distribution. The tower's incredible network of elevators break three world records, including the fastest single deck elevator, the fastest double deck elevator and the longest travel elevator. This presentation details the adaptation of the latest elevator technology and how the elevators secure safety, reliability and comfort while contributing to the energy savings of the building.

The construction of supertall mixed-use projects is a complex and integrated activity which has challenged construction management and its wide interdisciplinary collaborations. Advancements in BIM help to solve problems caused by various paper-based information exchanges, to understand the information isolation among application systems and to effectively control engineering information. With Shanghai Tower as a case study, this presentation introduces how BIM information technology breaks down traditional barriers among design, construction and operation to realistically exemplify information sharing and exchange.