118
Global
Height rank

China World Tower

Beijing
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
330 m / 1,083 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
330 m / 1,083 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
311.8 m / 1,023 ft
1 2 3 China World Tower
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
74
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
5
Height 330 m / 1,083 ft
Floors 74
Official Name
The current legal building name.

China World Tower

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

China World Trade Tower, China World Tower III, China World Trade Center III

Name of Complex
A complex is a group of buildings which are designed and built as pieces of a greater development.

China World Trade Center

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2010

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

China

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Beijing

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Hotel / Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Concrete-Steel Composite

Energy Label

LEED Gold

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

330 m / 1,083 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
330 m / 1,083 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
311.8 m / 1,023 ft
Observatory
311.8 m / 1,023 ft
Helipad
Height, measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance, to the building's helipad.
330 m / 1,083 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

74

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

5

# of Hotel Rooms
Number of Hotel Rooms refers to the total number of hotel rooms contained within a particular building.

600

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

1904

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

41

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

10 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

280,000 m² / 3,013,895 ft²

Rankings

#
118
Tallest in the World
#
73
Tallest in Asia
#
62
Tallest in China
#
2
Tallest in Beijing

Construction Schedule

2003

Proposed

2005

Construction Start

2010

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Interiors
Landscape
Property Management
Quantity Surveyor
Vertical Transportation
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Elevator
Developer
China World Trade Centre Company
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Wong Tung & Partners
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Ceris MCC Group
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

China World Trade Centre Company
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Acoustics
Campbell Shillinglaw Lau Ltd
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Façade Maintenance
CS Caulkins Co. Inc
Food Service
Romano Gatland
Geotechnical
China World Trade Centre Company
Interiors
Benoy; Hirsch Bedner Associates
Landscape
Lighting
Frances Krahe & Associates, Inc.
Property Management
Quantity Surveyor
Vertical Transportation
Wind
BMT Fluid Mechanics Ltd.; RWDI
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Cladding
Jangho Group Co., Ltd.
Elevator
Lighting
Beijing Fortune Lighting System Engineering Co., Ltd.

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Videos

19 September 2012 | Beijing

Considering Place in an Integrated Approach to Tall

The rapid development of Chinese cities has provided unique opportunities to create architecture that either responds to its context or, in the case of emerging...

 

Research

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About China World Tower

The China World Tower is the third phase and heart of the China World Trade Center (CWTC) in Beijing. The master plan and internal site circulation, both vehicular and pedestrian, were carefully considered in context to the rapidly expanding 3rd Ring Road area and existing Phase I & II programs in the World Trade Center complex to create a vibrant urban center. The project meets the ground with public garden spaces, active retail frontages, and protected courts to bring a sense of urbanity to the entire development. Walkways and open spaces reinforce a pedestrian-oriented environment.

The building was intended to achieve a quiet yet powerful dignity as the marker for the central business district of Beijing. The building is a slender columnar form with articulated corners and surfaces that are faceted in an undulating, waterfall-like plane. The walls are layered with crystalline fins that shade and catch the light, changing the view of the tower as one moves around it. The skyscraper stands in contrast to the jumble of new buildings in the fast-growing area of the city’s central hub.

The tower is said to have 112,000 square meters of total façade area, which is equivalent to 16 standard football fields. The façade features a thermally broken, unitized curtain wall system with low-emissivity insulated glazed units, shaded by full height external vertical glass fins. Because the tower tapers as it rises, the curtain wall undulates on alternating floors to create a micro-texture for the exterior. The external glass fins cantilever 600 millimeters from the glazed façade, providing shading and housing LED lighting strips along the outer edges for nighttime illumination.

Multiple new techniques, including computer simulation and physical tests, were used to examine the behavior of the building at different seismic levels. To achieve the necessary combination of strength and flexibility, engineers introduced a new system to China by adopting a composite steel plate shear wall at the base of the tower. The result illustrates a desirable balance between economics and the structural safety of a high-rise in a high seismic zone.

The tower’s robust base is folded seamlessly into the existing urban fabric and visually anchors the tapering tower. The ground floor contains clearly organized entries to offices on the west and a hotel on the east. The complex acts as a social and commercial hub for the city, with its retail podium drawing a constant bustle of activity to the area.

17 October 2016

How High Could Beijing Reach?

Long Ma, Jing Huang & Cheng Hou, BIAD

Can we still save our city? How high can buildings in Beijing arise? Beijing has so many ancient buildings; can they coexist harmoniously with skyscrapers?...

17 October 2016

SOM and China: Evolving Skyscraper Design Amid Rapid Urban Growth

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China’s rapid urban and economic growth has challenged designers, engineers, and planners to innovate and collaborate to meet the needs of a changing country. Skidmore,...

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Highest Helipads

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31 December 2009

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12 September 2017

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CTBUH partnered with Guinness World Records to identify the commercial building with the fastest elevator speeds and longest vertical runs.

13 March 2014

Whirlwind Tour Stirs Up More Interest in Shanghai Conference

On a second intensive journey inside six months, Executive Director Antony Wood traveled to China to make additional connections and develop further support.

23 September 2012

Beijing Regional Tour Report: Transforming China's Capital

Congress delegates who traveled to Beijing were treated to a snapshot of how tall buildings are transforming China’s capital.