Jin Mao
 |
Posted by George Delis in Travelling section |
|
A supertall structure exemplifying traditional Chinese style, Jin Mao Building is the symbolic architecture of Shanghai's entry into 21st century. Being China's tallest and the world's third tallest, Jin Mao Building is ranked after Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Sears Tower in Chicago, US. Designed by the Chicago Office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in August 1998 (a lucky date for the Chinese), Jin Mao Building covers 2.36 million sqm. It is 420.5 meters in height, reaching 88 levels (which corresponded to the age of Deng Xiaoping, China's lengendary leader, at the time of the design competition), among which 3 are basements, covering 58,000 sqm, one for catering, and the other two for basement garage.
Jin Mao Building locates at the mouth of Yan’an Dong Lu Tunnel, Pudong, adjacent to the Century Avenue, which is the core of Lujiazui, Pudong-a finance and trade center. It has an east view to the prosperity of Pudong New Area, a west bird’s-eye view to the elegancy of Huang Pu River, a south view to Zhangyang Road-business and trade zone and it is adjacent to the 100,000 sqm Central Greens in the north. The surrounding traffic network is well developed, enabling smooth traffic flow. One may take the tunnel bus or subway line 2 to get there. It only takes 2 minutes to get downtown area in Puxi from the tunnel.
The Jin Mao Building is high-tech, high-rise office building combining offices, business and hotel. With a spacious and bright area, levels 3 through 50 can accommodate up to 10,000 people. The 51st and 52nd levels are for mechanical and electrical equipment. Levels 53 to 87 are occupied by the Grand Hyatt - the world’s tallest Super 5-Star Hotel. Levels 56 through 87 contain a spectacular 27-meter wide atrium, 142 meters tall. The atrium is surrounded by 555 guest rooms of various sizes and styles, and numerous Chinese and Western-style restaurants. The 86th level is a club for entrepreneurs.
The 87th level is a restaurant with open-air seating. With a height of 341m, the 88th level is the highest sightseeing level in China, which can hold more than 1000 tourists. It only takes 45 seconds for two super speed elevators to take tourists to the sightseeing level from the 1st level basement. The speed of each elevator is 9.1m per second. Tourists on the sightseeing level will have a bird’s-eye view of Shanghai’s new look. Jin Mao Building has 79 lifts, among which 18 are escalators that are able to carry guests to any level rapidly, safely and comfortably. The annex building is 6 stories tall.
One floor contains a theatre and exhibition hall, one contains a banquet area and the other three contain retail malls and recreation centers. The annex is constructed in the form of a square, protected by glass walls. It is equipped with the latest office building technology, including advanced water pumps, heating equipment, ventilation and fire fighting facilities, as well as the most up-to-date security and automatic monitoring systems.
The Jin Mao Building has established itself as the new pinnacle in the international supertall construction domain. Its outstanding design and predominant location make it a prime landmark in Shanghai.
|
