SSS - Sky Scapes of Shanghai



THE SHANGHAI TOWER


 

The SHANGHAI TOWER is located in the prestigious  Lujiazui - Pudong Financial District of Shanghai in close proximity to the other greats - The Jin Mao Tower & The Shanghai World Financial Center. The Shanghai Tower is the tallest structure in the city with an observation deck on the 121st floor that gives a 360-degree view of the city. The tower literally touches the sky. On a cloudy day, the tower disappears into the clouds. This aerodynamic twisted iconic structure reminds me so much of "Jack and the Beanstalk" story. 

This 127-storey mega-structure is 632-metre (2,073 ft), and is the world's 3rd highest building by height behind the world's tallest - Dubai's Burj Khalifa, (828 m) and the world's 2nd-tallest the Tokyo Skytree (634m). The tower also boasts of the world fastest single-deck elevators travelling at an astonishing 18m/second. The tower has lots of intelligent features e.g. wind turbines that generate most of the power needed in the building and advance double-layered reinforced glass facade with a high tolerance to shifts in temperature thereby reducing heating and cooling needs which are taken care of by embedded geothermal energy sources in its external fabric.


SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER




The SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER is also located on the shoulders of the Shanghai Tower in the plush Lujiazui - Pudong Financial District. Before being surpassed by the Shanghai Tower in 2016, it was the tallest structure in the city at 492m (1,614ft) and as of now the world's 8th tallest structure. Its most distinctive features is the is the trapezoid aperture (sometimes referred to as the bottle opener)at the peak that serves to reduced wind speeds/load. The building has won numerous architectural accolades for its good looks and unique design.


 THE JIN MAO TOWER



Before being surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007, the 93 -storey, 420.5m (1,380ft) tall JIN MAO TOWER was for a long time the tallest building on mainland China. Located side by side with the Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai Financial Center, the Jin Mao Tower adds to the majestic aura of the Shanghai's Lujiazui-Pudong Financial District.


THE ORIENTAL PEARL


 Perhaps one of the most distinctive landmarks in the City of Shanghai is the Oriental Pearl, located in the tip of the Pudong Park in Lijuizai District. The Tower is really a TV & Radio Tower with recreational facilities and not a habitable building. This 468 meters (1,536 feet) high  tower is the world's sixth tallest TV and radio tower. Its allure lies in its unique design - an interplay of modern and ancient Chinese architectural concepts. The tower, with several observation decks, has large spheres along the length of its stem. The spheres, decorated in oriental purple and lit by different LED sequences at night make for a great spectacle and one of the most visited recreational sites in the city.


GREATER TOGETHER



 Shanghai is a city of numerous fascinating architectural gems that will blow your mind away. Looking at these imposing structures in isolation does not deliver the same punch as when viewed together.



















THE LOTUS IS DANCING

When the night begins to creep in, Shanghai turns up its lights. The extraordinary usage of lighting to illuminate the city's buildings exteriors provokes once-in-a-lifetime twirling display of luminescence that will surely bedazzle your soul.










 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE MEMOIRS OF AN AFRICAN SHOE

Image
Shoes have a story to tell... The most heartwarming tales are told,  Not by that new, frequently-changed pair,  But by that single beloved pair that is worn day-in, day-out.  It is a story of long thirsty walks, of scorching sweaty days,  It is a story of pain, hunger, and the struggle to survive.  Above all, that rugged shoe is still the beacon of hope; That if you survive this day, with the shoe still on that weary blistered foot,  There will be a brighter day.  The story of hope is the story of humanity, The very essence of life! PLASTIC SHOES - THE STORY OF THE MASAAI BOY I went for a CSR visit at a local primary school outside the company town of Magadi.  I met this young Masaai boy who beamed the brightest of smiles... What gave him away were his PLASTIC shoes.  The sages of old tell us to walk a mile in his shoes to appreciate his tribulations.  I am not sure I could do a day in his shoes...  The temperatures in Magadi can sometimes get to a  searing  44  
Read more

MARSABIT COUNTY - DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Image
A few months ago, my employer sent me to the northernmost most expansive, county in the Republic of Kenya - Marsabit. I felt like John Snow when he was banished to be with the Night's Watch, solemn, lost and hopeless. Still, I had heard of long tales of a county beyond the North Wall. A tribe of fair beautiful people, some say, with biblical roots traced back to the Jewish King Solomon and the beautiful temptress, Queen of Sheba. Tales have been told of exceedingly amiable lasses (you should try Ethiopian Airlines), the world famous Ethiopian flat bread they call  injera  served with mouth-watering spicy stews (doro wat) and washed down with the hugely affordable range of beer brands. This Jon Snow is planning on going further North than prescribed by the "Black Brothers" and have himself a feast fit for crows. But first the business of the day. Marsabit town is located at the foot of Mt. Marsabit, about 500 km from Nairobi and 250 km from Isiolo, the la
Read more

FACING MOUNT KIRINYAGA

Image
I have become a certified village bum; what, with spending a considerable chunk of my life in Kiamwathi, Kinunga, Giakanja, Wariruta and Mihuti being the order of the day. Now my Kikuyu is almost native and my hair is dyed red from constant exposure to the red volcanic soils. That’s not to say I don’t have a life, I certainly do. I recently took a working tour of Nyeri and filed these demented memoirs. Nyeri, the provincial seat of Central Province, lies about 160 kilometres north of Nairobi. The direct route to Nyeri is via Sagana & Karatina but you could also take the more winding and picturesque route via Muranga - Othaya. On a clear sunny day, one may be lucky to see the bold snow peak of the Kirinyaga as the local would have it or simply Mt Kenya. The Aberdares too are visible from several vantage points. The history of Nyeri town is intertwined with that of the Mau Mau freedom fighters and that of the founder of the Boys Scouts & Girl Guide movements – Baden Powel
Read more