The three tallest towers in Beijing

The three tallest towers in Beijing

  

Beijing is among the growing megalopolis of Asia, and like other large cities of Asia, this is quite impressive in terms of frenetic urban planning. 

Clearly, Beijing authorities have ambition and their intention is to make a strong impression to the world.   

Furthermore, the ongoing rivalry with Shanghai motivates them, it is out of question to remain too far behind and, since the tendency is to build gigantic and tall towers, gigantic and tall towers have been built in Beijing.

Actually, these towers are part of a very ambitious urban planning project which is currently being implemented, the Beijing CBD. The overall project features the construction of dozens of skyscrapers in order to make of Beijing a modern metropolis.

What are the present 3 tallest towers in Beijing ?

Out of competition: the Central Radio & City Tower.

Okay, this is the tallest structure in Beijing, 386.5 m (1,268 ft) high, but this is not a real tower since nobody really lives in it, furthermore it is cheating a lot thanks to its antenna spire. The actual top floor is “only” 248 m (814 ft) high.

Completed in 1992, it has even been for a short while the tallest structure in China, but very quickly, things have been built in Shanghai and Shenzhen that have reduced the Beijing Central & City Tower to a second rank competitor.

The real highest tower in Beijing: the China World Trade Center Tower 3

A tower 330 m (1,083 ft) high and 81 floors, this ambitious real estate project was completed in 2010. It features 30 elevators, 4 of them with a speed of 10 meters per second. What is great with this one is that you can actually live in it, there is an hotel in the floors 64 to 77.

The project was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, an architect firm that designed 6 of the 12 tallest buildings in the world. Actually, the China World Trade Center Tower 3 is only the 40th tallest building in the world.

A fourth tower is being added to the Beijing World Trade center project, called the tower 3B. This tower won't compete with its eldest sister, and, in 2016, when it will be completed, it will be 240 m high, which means it will be the second highest building in Beijing at that date of completion.

The second tallest tower in Beijing: Fortune Plaza Office Building

This one has been the tallest skyscraper in Beijing for about 5 years, from 2005 to 2010. It is a fiery 260 meter (853 foot)  high building with 63 floors. It was designed by the Aedas architect firm, known for innovative project such as the Sandcrawler (CX2-1) in Singapore. Although other towers in the Fortune Plaza real estate project have residential apartments, this building features only office space.

The third tallest tower in Beijing: Beijing Yintai Center - Tower 2, the “Park Tower”

The Yintai Center has three towers, the second tower being the tallest. It is 250 m / 820 ft high. This tower feature the Beijing Park Hyatt hotel and residences.  This project was designed by a famous architect, John C. Portman, used to design Hyatt hotels with large atriums and structures turned inward.

Still, Beijing is behind the China skyscraper competition. The tallest buildings in China are in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. 

This is a reflection of the economic dynamism in China, probably, and the statistics are relevant: China is the country with the most tall buildings in the world, topping the USA, and this is not over ! 

More than 20 towers more than 350 meters highs are under construction, the most ambitious one being the Pingan International Finance Centre in Shenzen, that should be completed in 2016 and will top the current highest tower in China, the Shanghai's World Financial Center and its 192 meters high or the new Shanghai Tower....

sources : 

1. Beijingrelocation
2.  Beijing Gov