Shanghai Tower
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 35
Three days after arrival, following an unexpected bus trip to Hangzhou, I was finally able to see Shanghai. My colleague Wang assigned a new chaperone to me from his student pool. Mr Li’s daughter Jaiyi met me at my hotel lobby where we coordinated our plan for the day: her list, my list, and Wang’s list. First on his list was the Museum of Contemporary Art, located in The People’s Park, a short walk from the hotel. First on my list was Shanghai Tower, documented in a PBS series called Super Skyscrapers: The Vertical City. Concerned about crossing Professor Wang if we did not fulfill his instructions, we began at the museum then traveled by cab to the Shanghai Tower.
Echos — Sculpture by Oliviero Rainaldi, Museum of Contemporary Art
Oliviero Rainaldi, ink on paper, Museum of Contemporary Art
Shanghai Tower, second tallest building in the world, tallest in China, designed by the firm Gensler with architect Jun Xia
base of Shanghai Tower, interior under construction, scheduled to open in 2016
Shanghai Tower (right) had not opened at the time of our visit. However, it’s neighbor the Shanghai World Financial Center at 492 meters (1614 feet) tall has the highest observatory in the world on the floor above the open slot. The new tower is designed with a double skin, evident in the photograph: core main floors are deeply recessed from the surrounding spiral glass facade, creating gaps that will contain huge atriums. Jin Mao Tower (left).
Shanghai World Financial Center — Guinness World Record Highest Observatory, 2009
animated lights in the floor and elevator distract from the exceptionally fast ascent to the observatory
a large-scale 3d model of the city is fully lit to change from day to night
100th floor observatory
the unsettling experience of looking through glass underfoot on the 100th floor
what is solid is transparent, Jin Mao Tower on left
Shanghai Tower on left
Oriental Pearl Tower in center top, completed 1994
neighborhoods by roof color to the south
looking west across the Huangpu River
from one tower to another
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