SHANGHAI.- Shanghai Tower, a 632-meter (2,074 foot) building designed by Gensler, a leading global architectural design firm, advances sustainable design strategies and gives prominence to public spaces. The Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd., is the project's developer. Thornton Tomasetti structural engineers, Cosentini Associates mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers and the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University as the Local Design Institute will support Gensler. The development is slated for completion in 2014.

Shanghai Tower is located in the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone, an area of Shanghai that was farmland eighteen years ago. The district is poised to become China's first super-tall district, as Shanghai Tower rises to complete a trio of towers including the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center. Together, these three will form a new icon on Shanghai's skyline. While the design of the Jin Mao Tower pays homage to China's past, and the SWFC's design signifies China's recent economic growth, Shanghai Tower's design is a beacon of China's future.

"This tower is symbolic of a nation whose future is filled with limitless opportunities," said Qingwei Kong, President of Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd. "With Shanghai Tower we celebrate not only China's economic success and increasing connection to the global community, but also our company's commitment to developing properties that demonstrate the highest, noblest and most exquisite design achievements possible."

Shanghai Tower will house Class-A office space, retail, a luxury hotel and cultural venues. The uppermost floors will feature the world's highest non- enclosed observation deck. The tower's podium building will offer a high-end retail environment with a major event space. Below-grade facilities include retail, connections to the Shanghai Metro and three floors of parking.

"We hope Shanghai Tower inspires new ideas about what sustainable tall buildings can be," said Art Gensler, FAIA, Chairman of Gensler. "We've lined the perimeter of the tower, top to bottom, with public spaces, and we've integrated strategic environmental thinking into every move. The tower is a stage that comes to life through the presence of people."