Vertical Transportation: Ascent & Acceleration
12 September 2017 - CTBUH Research
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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."
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).
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."
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
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).
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).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
The current legal building name.
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.
A complex is a group of buildings which are designed and built as pieces of a greater development.
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.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
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.
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 a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Reinforced 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.
Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/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 in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.
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."
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).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
Number of Hotel Rooms refers to the total number of hotel rooms contained within a particular building.
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).
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.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Proposed
Construction Start
Completed
Interiors
Landscape
Property Management
Quantity Surveyor
Traffic
Vertical Transportation
Wind
Elevator
Sealants
You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.
Acoustics
Façade Maintenance
Food Service
Geotechnical
Interiors
Landscape
Lighting
Property Management
Quantity Surveyor
Traffic
Vertical Transportation
Wind
Cladding
Elevator
Sealants
12 September 2017 - CTBUH Research
7 March 2014 - Building Tour
19 September 2012 | Beijing
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...
17 October 2016
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?...
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.
19 September 2012 | Beijing
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...
17 October 2016
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
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,...
11 June 2014
In this installment of Tall Buildings in Numbers, CTBUH considers how helipads are used on skyscrapers, and which are the highest in the world. The...
31 December 2009
Trump International Hotel & Tower named tallest building completed in 2009; Successful year for the American high-rise. Over half of all buildings 200m or taller...
12 September 2017
CTBUH partnered with Guinness World Records to identify the commercial building with the fastest elevator speeds and longest vertical runs.
13 March 2014
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
Congress delegates who traveled to Beijing were treated to a snapshot of how tall buildings are transforming China’s capital.
31 December 2009
Trump International Hotel & Tower named tallest building completed in 2009; Successful year for the American high-rise. Over half of all buildings 200m or taller completed in the past twelve months were located in Asia, with some 36% being in China alone.
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