Soaring profile

Smith is one of the world's foremost architects designing really high buildings. He has designed many well-known projects, including the world's highest structure, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as the building projected to surpass it and the first kilometer-high building, the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia.

The term "super tall" is used to describe buildings over 300 meters, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a Chicago-based nonprofit in the field of high buildings and sustainable urban design.

Founded in 2006, Adrian Smith+ Gordon Gill Architecture is known for designing signature towers, corporate headquarters, mixed-use high-rises, luxury residences and five-star luxury hotels.

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

But none has been able to become a "symbol" of the city.

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

For instance, the mountain and two rivers have given Chongqing the tag of "foggy city" and most days are overcast.

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

Therefore, the project will use a material that will work well with this lighting condition.

"The city is formed by many centuries of erosion with the river (Yangtze). So it has very strong features of water, mountains and gorges. We can put those features into the building with the technologies of the 21st century," he says.

A very high building can become a landmark of the city by its sheer height alone, but "we have the responsibility to develop and design the building working on three reasons", Smith says.

"It needs to function well for its intended use, to be well built with the best quality and durability, and to be a piece of art."

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

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

During their careers, Smith and his partner at their firm have worked on many buildings in China, such as the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, the Nanjing Zifeng Tower, the Waldorf-Astoria Beijing and the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou.

"Such a landmark will become a focal point for the region and put the city in line with the first-tier cities," says Smith.

"It is a symbol of modernity."