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SHANGHAI : China's tallest building - the Shanghai World Financial Centre - will be opened to the public this weekend.
The skyscraper boasts one of the world's highest observation deck and hotel.
Soaring to a towering height of 101 storeys, the Shanghai World Financial Centre is the latest addition to the city's changing landscape.
Built at a cost of US$1.4 billion, the president and CEO of the Mori Building Company, Minoru Mori, expects to recoup the investment in 12 years.
The building currently has a 45 per cent occupancy rate, but Mori Building Company is confident of getting more tenants despite recent worries about the economy.
The Shanghai World Financial Centre is also a window to modern construction capabilities. The building has 7 evacuation floors in the event of emergencies, like fire. It can also withstand a 7.0-magnitude earthquake.
Mega-structures on the exterior make the building resistant to strong winds, and counterweight balances prevent it from swaying.
Construction started 11 years ago, but was stopped three times - during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the 2003 SARS outbreak.
The Park Hyatt Shanghai hotel, occupying the 79th-93rd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, will welcome its first guests next month. - CNA /ls
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