The breathtaking Shanghai World Financial Center is a magnificent work of architecture and modern design. An extremely tall 492 metre high skyscraper the Shanghai World Financial Center has the distinction of being the second tallest building in the world. The title of the world’s tallest building is accorded to Taiwan’s ‘Taipei 101’, which stands 508 metres tall. However the latter building’s height advantage is due to its spire; measured by roof height the Shanghai World Financial Center is 44 metres taller than its rival.

The Shanghai World Financial Center is classified as a mixed-use building, featuring hotels, office space, observation decks, conference rooms, shops, malls and no less than three floors of underground parking. Three separate observation decks are featured, with the highest on the 100th floor. The latter holds the title of being the highest observation facility on the globe. The Center has the capacity to accommodate a total of 12,000 people.

The mammoth construction project which cost $850 million was funded by a group of more than 36 multinational corporations, including banking corporations, insurance companies and Japanese developers. The building’s construction commenced in August 1997, but the project was temporarily halted in the 1990s due to Asia’s financial crisis. The building was finally completed in 2008.

Undoubtedly the most unique and recognizable feature of the building is the unmistakable aperture found at the peak of the building, which resembles a giant bottle opener with its trapezoidal form.

The building incorporates numerous safety features, including dampers to control the sway of the building in the event of windstorms or earthquakes, as well as fireproof areas and external elevators.