World's second tallest building underway in Shanghai


Shanghai Tower work crews have completed the foundations for one of the world's tallest buildings.

The Shanghai Tower under construction

The Shanghai Tower (far right) under construction Image: Arend Vermazeren

The Tower, which will be 632 meters high on completion, is expected to be finished in 2014 and will be the world's second tallest building, beaten only by 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The initial work on the Shanghai Tower was finished a month ahead of schedule, taking three years to build the massive foundations for the "vertical city".  Now, construction will move upwards, with an estimated 400m being completed by the end of 2012.  Each floor platform will take around seven days to build and will eventually house hotels, offices, shopping malls and other facilities, with a population of more than 50,000 people.

Once completed, the Shanghai Tower will be the tallest structure in China as well as a new Shanghai landmark.  The site is alongside the 420.5-meter Jin Mao Tower and the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center. The three skyscrapers in Shanghai's Lujiazui Financial Zone will be connected by subways.