Chongqing to build 470-meter 'supertall' skyscraper

Southwest China's Chongqing will see construction of a new record high skyscraper of 470 meters in the near future as Adrian Smith, one of the world's foremost architects in this field, paid a visit to the city last week.

The mega-city with over 30 million people wants to show its ambition to become a world-class metropolis through such an iconic architecture project.

The project, developed by Sunac China Holdings Ltd, is in the Jiangbeizui financial district, which is surrounded by the Yangtze River and Jialing River. It will be a mixed-use compound with offices, residential areas, hotels and retail.

"It (Chongqing project) will be an exceptional piece of art," Smith told reporters in Chongqing. "It will not relate to past architecture in Chongqing but create a new architectural way forward. It will give Chongqing a bright future."

Almost as big as Austria, Chongqing is the fourth municipality under the direct leadership of the central government after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, the only one in inland China.

The traditional industrial hub, which is at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative's trade route and the Yangtze River Economic Zone, has witnessed fast and steady economic growth in recent years. It led the country's GDP growth rate table for two consecutive years in 2014 and 2015.

Thanks to its political and geographic significance, the city is poised to become a financial center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

This was the first time the 73-year-old American architect visited the city, which is known as a gateway to the "Wild West".

Smith has designed numerous notable buildings, including the world's tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as the building projected to surpass it and the first kilometer-high building, the Jeddah Tower, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In Chongqing, he and his colleagues from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) held meetings with the developer and had a brief tour of the city's downtown.

Founded in 2006, the firm is internationally known for designing some of the world's most iconic structures, including signature towers, corporate headquarters, mixed-use high-rises, luxury residences, and 5-star luxury hotels.

As a landmark of the city, the building will reflect the features of Chongqing and be related to its environment, geography and culture, Smith said.

For instance, surrounded by mountains and two rivers, Chongqing is called "the foggy city" and most days are overcast.

"Chongqing does not have a lot of direct sunlight, compared to many other cities," Smith said.

Therefore, he said, the project will use proper material that will work very well with this lighting condition.

"In terms of the natural geography, the city is formed by many centuries of erosion with the river, so it has very strong features of water, mountains and gorges," Smith said.

"We can put those features into the building with the technologies in the 21st century," he added.

Like other ambitious cities in China, Chongqing is keen on tall buildings. By August, there were 62 buildings over 180 meters high in the city, according to local authorities.

The term "supertall" is used to describe buildings over 300 meters, according to skyscraper authority the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

In 1930, the Chrysler Building in Manhattan, New York, became the world's first supertall skyscraper.

At present, there are 100 supertall buildings worldwide and nearly half of them are in China.

During their careers AS+GG Partners have worked on many of the world's most recognized buildings besides the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. These include the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, Nanjing Greenland Financial Complex in Nanjing, Waldorf-Astoria Beijing and the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou.

In January last year, President Xi Jinping said during an inspection trip that Chongqing is "full of promise" and set to become an inland international logistics hub.

"Such a landmark will become a focal point for the region and put the city in line with the first-tier cities," said Smith. "It is a symbol of modernity."