Ranking of Chinese supertalls (Updated on November 9)

[z0rg]

** SEPTEMBER UPDATE HERE
** OCTOBER UPDATE HERE
** NOVEMBER UPDATE HERE

Covering the whole Greater China region...

Geography:
Includes projects in China Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Projects:
Includes highrises only.
Doesn't include antennas, bridges, etc.
Doesn't include vision, cancelled projects and stale proposals

Construction progress (excluding ground works, etc)


Ranking by height


Ranking by city


Detailed map




THUMBNAIL RENDERS

[z0rg]

Chongqing is leading the way by far. It has around 25 supertall projects on going plus around 100x200-299m.

Chongqing main projects in the city center only.

[BarbaricManchurian]

Tianjin also has a few supertalls under construction in the center city, as you can see in this diagram. There are, of course, many more under construction outside the city center including China 117 Tower, to the southwest of the city, and dozens of supertalls under construction in Binhai New Area, to the east of the city.

Enjoy:

TIANJIN PROJECTS AND DEVELOPMENT MAP

[Spearman]

Originally Posted by z0rg

Chongqing is leading the way by far. It has around 25 supertall projects on going plus around 100x200-299m.

Strange, but I didn't even know about Chongqing before I went to China. And it's a city of 33 million....

I guess it's fitting it has so many supertalls, but it's strange how it's just totally ignored outside China.

[skyscraper03]

Is God really equal ?
If China normally started to develop itself like Japan, Korea(S) or Taiwan, it would have already become the biggest and richest nation on the planet.
In year 2009, China might have been too good prosperous comparing to others with its great ancient architecture + modern architecture for 1.3 billion construction market.
Maybe the communist occupation which kept China closed and poor for a long time is a demonstration of how God is equal to all of us.
The curtain is risen late, but now we'll see how long and nicely China can play.

[Gwo Loo Waan]

The challenge is great but let's hope they are ready for that!

I cannot imagine one of those tallers collapsing...

[Dan Hochhaus]

So most of all, Chonqing, Tianjin and Shenyang are heading for a skyline with several supertalls, like Hongkong, Shanghai, Shenzen and Guangzhou have now. It'll be interesting to see, which skyline will be a new worldwide dominant in the 2010's. Will Chongqing finally make the breakthrough?

In Hongkong, the almost finished ICC is the last new supertall actually - I wonder why there are no new projects ongoing in this scenic city... perhaps the adjacence of Shenzen could be a reason.

[wjfox]

Great work z0rg. Extremely comprehensive.

[sakai]

Originally Posted by Spearman

Strange, but I didn't even know about Chongqing before I went to China. And it's a city of 33 million....

I guess it's fitting it has so many supertalls, but it's strange how it's just totally ignored outside China.

chongqing wasn't even significant inside china until recently since you can see most of the activity is on the east side of china near the coast the government has been pushing to develop cq to accelerate economic development in the west. in fact the places with the most development seems like they're currently getting the most attention from the government you can see tianjin and shenyang getting rapid development in the north cq in the west and cities like shanghai and hongkong slowing down by comparison.

[CarlosBlueDragon]

wow... Big great...china!! Thanks job for zOrg and BarbaricManchurian!!
I know zOrg love China and Spain!! BarbaricManchruian support for tianjin!!

Congratulations zOrg!!
Good Job BarbaricManchurian..

[GOL2007]

What's the reason for Chongqing having so much more supertalls compared to shanghai? Local preferences of the building authorities? I would assume that Shanghai is almost equally big, dense and economically maybe even stronger...

[BarbaricManchurian]

geography. Chongqing is extremely mountainous, so it is easier to expand vertically than horizontally. Also, it is targeted by the central government as an engine of economic growth in the inland region of China.

[z0rg]

Originally Posted by GOL2007

What's the reason for Chongqing having so much more supertalls compared to shanghai? Local preferences of the building authorities? I would assume that Shanghai is almost equally big, dense and economically maybe even stronger...

Second tier cities are booming like crazy because the demand for A grade offices is skyrocketing from a very, very low supply (sometimes just a few buildings). Shanghai has countless short and medium size A grade office complexes and it is a mature market. It has tons of high quality low and midrises approved every year.

But in these new booming cities the new supply is very concentrated in skyscrapers. I have no sources, but I'm pretty sure that by 2020 around 80-90% of A grade offices in Shenyang will be located in complexes taller than 200m (Shenyang is planning over 60 buildings above this height).

Some say that the vacancy rate in these cities is too high, but it is only because the existing supply is still low. Normally the current demand takes very short to catch with the supply, a lag of just 2-4 years.

Beijing is a good example for this, even despite of being a mature market. Beijing is bashed all the time for constructing too many offices that will remain vacant for decades. Huge myth. According to Colliers, the vacancy rate of Beijing has kept stable around 15% (ultra-high for a developed country) for the last decade. So some people think "Oh, they have a high vacancy rate, they are just building facade projects". However, in Q2 2009 the occupied area of A grade offices caught up with the total stock available in Q3 2007 (around 8.3 mill sqm). In other words, Beijing today is using over 100% of the existing supply available less than 2 years ago, that's a very short lag. That's why China needs high vacancy rates in order to avoid bottlenecks.


Chongqing is a very special case anyway. Both Chongqing and Tianjin are being groomed by the central government to become first tier cities asap. They have unlimited support from the gov and they will experience ultrafast development in the coming decade (similar to Shanghai and Shenzhen in the past).

But unlike other cities, Chongqing is "alone" there. In other regions you find clusters of big cities, but you wont find any other big city near Chongqing excepting Chengdu. If you travel from Chongqing to the south or the east you wont find any other important city in more than 500km. This is another advantage for Chongqing.

Also, CQ is built on a difficult terrain, craggy and steep. Land transformation is ultra expensive, and you can't build easily into the hills. Like Hong Kong, it is a city for towers. Skyscrapers on the other hand are easier to build on such a tough floor.


One more thing. We shouldn't expect these cities to become supertall paradises in a short term. Most projects in those lists wont be started shortly, many are mid-long term projects for new CBDs (say to be completed around 2020), and some others are the tallest towers of some multi-phase masterplan by some crazy developer. IMO China will complete at least 10-15 supertalls a year starting in 2010.

Thanks everyone for supporting

[z0rg]

Originally Posted by the spliff fairy

any pix of the ones u/c?

You want a quick overview?

SHANGHAI | Shanghai Tower. 632m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 27th by Andrew Breaks at Flickr
image hosted on flickr

TIANJIN | China 117 Tower. 597m.

Originally Posted by BarbaricManchurian

4.1 bohaibbs.org

HONG KONG | ICC. 483m.

Originally Posted by kanye

image hosted on flickr

by d-k-t

NANJING | Greenland Plaza. 450m.

Originally Posted by General Huo

09.07.23 by小麟子

GUANGZHOU | West Tower. 440m.

Originally Posted by benKen

SHENZHEN | Kingkey Fin Center. 439m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 25th by alt_add_f4

SHENYANG | Hang Lung Plaza. 384m and 350m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 18th by woailiaozu

DALIAN | Eton Center. 383m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 4th by chenxiaohai

GUANGZHOU | The Pinnacle. 360m

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 30th by TIAN_MO

WUHAN | Gezhouba Intl Plaza. 355m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

May 17th 2009

TIANJIN | Tianjin WFC. 337m.

Originally Posted by BarbaricManchurian

7.18 bohaibbs.org

WENZHOU | Wenzhou World Trade Center. 333m (348m according to some sources).

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 13th

CHONGQING | Lanko International Mansion. 330m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 31st by 我的摩天重庆

TIANJIN | Kerry Center. 330m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 15th by wxt123.

WUXI | Farmers Apartments. 328m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 2nd by sony167

YANTAI | Yantai Shimao No 1. 323m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

Late June by 最爱午后红茶.

SHENYANG | Northeast WTC. 320m~ (Final height unknown, in case they don't add the crown it will be just 260m~)

Originally Posted by z0rg

June 12th by endif

CHONGQING | Yingli Tower. 318m. I know that the pic doesn't show actual construction, but a few days ago somebody posted that they have erected a crane.

Originally Posted by z0rg

May 24th by 平常心看世界.

SHENYANG | New World Intl Conv & Exh Center. 2x312m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

June 12th by endif

GUANGZHOU | Pearl River Tower. 309m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 30th by TIAN_MO

SHENZHEN | East Pacific Center. 306m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

May 31st by 三毛.

GUANGZHOU | Leatop Plaza. 302m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 30th by TIAN_MO

SHENZHEN | Project T106—0028 (Formerly Nikko Tower, new name unknown). 301m.

Originally Posted by williamhou2005

Late May

SUZHOU | Gate of the Orient. 301m

Originally Posted by z0rg

By 玉山后人

CHONGQING | Poly Tower. 300m.

Originally Posted by z0rg

July 31st by 我的摩天重庆. Wow, ultrafast progress!

PS: I'd add prep projects, but I'm scared of Onn's reaction

[deepblue01]

I must say, the West tower is my favourite so far. I also like Jin Mao (I also like the pinnacle as well because it looks like Jin mao) and SWFC. PingAn isn't too far behind if they use the original design.

[the spliff fairy]

yep, what is the Ping'an design at the moment?

ps Zorg, can you post tv towers?

[bonivison]

Wonderful job! Zorg!
You are a super man!

[the spliff fairy]

two supertalls TV Towers nearing completion



the Guangzhou TV Tower, 2001 ft




image hosted on flickr



and Zhengzhou TV mast, 1273ft

[Philly Bud]

Besides the sheer number of supertall skyscrapers in China and the lofty heights they are reaching, the thing that really impresses me is the architectural beauty, elegance, and refinement of many of these structures.

China has a glorious history and heritage of artistic excellence. I think this is reflected in some of the really fine buildings we see here.

I do believe - and I am not going to name specific buildings or cities or nations - there are a lot of kitschy and cheesy looking skyscrapers under construction; happily the Chinese have better taste than that.

[the spliff fairy]

More info on the Pearl River Tower, the worlds first carbon zero eco-scraper.

Originally Posted by lotsz

image hosted on flickr


When the Guangdong Tobacco Company solicited proposals for a new headquarters last fall, the company asked architects to incorporate measures for sustainability. The Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) took the project as a challenge, submitting a design for a 300-meter tower that the firm says will require no net energy to operate. Known officially as the Guangdong Tobacco Tower, but informally called the Zero Energy Tower, SOM’s proposal is among three finalists. A winner is expected to be announced shortly.

"We have been doing a lot of research into energy efficiency for tall buildings," says Gordon Gill, an associate partner at SOM, who worked on the proposal with partner Adrian Smith and engineer Roger Frechette. "We felt this was an ideal opportunity to showcase how a large building could be designed to utilize energy harvested from the local environment."

The tower’s primary facade would face south to take advantage of prevailing winds from that direction, which would drive a series of building-integrated wind turbines located on two separate mechanical floors. The curved geometry of the facade was designed to maximize the power generated by the wind, says Frechette.

This south facade would also be double-glazed and mechanically ventilated, with integrated louvers that would adjust automatically to the sun’s angle and intensity. Ventilated air would be channeled through a passive dehumidification system to remove moisture. Frechette says despite Guangdong’s humid, subtropical climate, calculations showed such a system could be used successfully.

The tower has other energy-efficiency strategies as well. A unique geothermal system would be integrated into the tower’s caissons and connected to high-efficiency chillers that would reduce the size of the mechanical plant by about 30 percent. Radiant slab cooling on each floor would reduce energy used for cooling by 40 percent compared to a conventional HVAC system, say the designers. Underfloor displacement ventilation would further reduce cooling energy and provide improved indoor air quality. Perhaps more important, the improved ceiling heights achieved through these HVAC strategies would allow the architects to fit the building’s program into a tower several stories shorter than originally anticipated, which would shave operating and maintenance costs throughout the life of the building.


Underfloor Ventilation with Radiant Cooling
In contrast to traditional HVAC systems, which consume copious energy from fans to mix fresh air with that circulating inside, Pearl River’s ventilation makes fans unnecessary. Since the incoming air is dehumidified and precooled within the double wall, it’s similar enough to the interior climate to introduce directly via underfloor displacement ventilation without mixing.


Cool water runs underneath each floor slab. As heat from the occupants and equipment builds, it is propelled upward by the displacement system, hits the chilled slab, and cycles downward, creating a convection tumble that circulates air through the space. Eventually exhaust air passes through the double-wall facade.


High-Performance Facade
The facade incorporates many layers of sustainable thinking simultaneously. Angled to take full advantage of natural daylight, embedded photovoltaics gather solar energy, while fully glazed low-e glass and integrated shades shield the interior from unwanted heat and glare. The double-wall construction offers insulation and a critical way station between the indoors and outdoors.


Exhaust air rises upward in this space to the mechanical floors, where excess heat is harvested from it. That energy is in turn used to precool incoming air, which produces condensation that supplements the building’s water needs. Even the facade’s shape has a purpose: its curves bend with natural wind pressures to reinforce the overall structure’s stability.




Wind Power
The structural curves funnel natural wind currents at their maximum velocity into turbines located on two mechanical floors. That energy can be used directly or stored in batteries for later. Isolating the wind turbines on these mechanical floors minimizes noise and vibration and simplifies maintenance.


Fuel Cells
Fuel cells generate electricity from natural gas, avoiding losses of as much as two-thirds that occur when transporting electricity from faraway grids. Rather than combusting the gas, which would emit harmful sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the cells break down hydrogen electrochemically, converting gas to electricity with more than 50 percent efficiency. The high-temperature waste gas produced in this process yields even more usable energy for cooling and ventilation.


The tower is positioned to optimally harvest wind.

It will one day form a line of supertalls down Guangzhou's grand axis, all u/c at the moment:







Pearl River Tower rising at bottom


and a better view of the axis



...and for those who can't wait its already available in Simcity 4