Jin Mao Building
"The consequence of the bias of Western architectural style is the architectural Chernobyl - uncontrollable radioactive waste of various architectural styles that contradict regional traditions."
A historical change has occurred in Asia (supported by cheap labor, the influx of foreign capital, and the shift of the existing economy to a free market) - the home of more than half of the world’s population, where the priority of life is maintaining modernization. And the most visible symbol of the change and the subsequent economic boom in Asia in the second half of the 20th century is the skyscraper, represented by a myriad of styles while maintaining one decisive characteristic - immeasurable height.
The Jin Mao Building was designed by the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), a venerable and experienced supplier of corporate architecture, which, like many other firms, helps to elevate its Asian clientele from third place in the world rankings to first. Jin Mao, although better than many others, points to the possible problems of newly emerging superstructures.
Skyscrapers play a significant symbolic role in their ever-growing stature. Some of the tallest recently have been rising in China, Indonesia, and Malaysia - in countries that have little experience in building gigantic structures but are hungry for monuments of their prosperity. And it is foreign architects who are being solicited to create future worlds. These firms, especially SOM, bring an unmatched ability in designing these megastructures. Since Jin Mao is built on sand with an absence of bedrock, an advanced structure is erected around a central reinforced concrete core. This ensures protection against typhoons and earthquakes typical to this region.
The stylized stainless steel and glass facade echoes projects on the shores of Shanghai, a district known for its Art Deco style. Jin Mao is adorned at the upper levels to evoke traditional Chinese pagodas. Thousands of wooden and brick pagodas built in honor of Buddha are still scattered across the slopes of mountains today. Jin Mao does not need the slopes of mountains, as it soars to a height of 421 meters above the city. This dizzying verticality is somewhat tempered by a six-story arcade of shops and services. Offices occupy the first fifty floors, and the five-star Grand Hyatt hotel is located in the upper 38 floors.
Structural assessment invites a contemporary debate on the questions of buildings from Asian conglomerates. Can foreigners interpret a culture that is unfamiliar to them? Can architects even design their proposals without knowledge of the surroundings of the object? Yet, the buildings of Woolworth and Chicago Tribune, commercialized versions of Gothic cathedrals, have become typical landmarks in two cities worlds apart from medieval Europe. César Pelli believes that the Eiffel Tower could easily represent everything British if it had been built in London instead of Paris. Only time will tell whether the Jin Mao Building will symbolize the spirit of a new China.
However, the most urgent question is how the Jin Mao Building and other gigantic superstructures will integrate into the existing Chinese infrastructure. The authoritative communist government has defined five "special economic zones," which are being built without any restrictions. Although Shanghai is filled with investments in new bridges, highways, and metro systems, skyscrapers will undoubtedly increase the already shocking overload of infrastructure. Jin Mao is equipped with racks for 1,000 bicycles, the most popular mode of transportation for the Chinese.
The client's requirement was that the building's design reference the number eight, a lucky number for the Chinese. The crown of Jin Mao touches the heavens at 88 stories - double the luck.
Nelson Chen (1994)
A historical change has occurred in Asia (supported by cheap labor, the influx of foreign capital, and the shift of the existing economy to a free market) - the home of more than half of the world’s population, where the priority of life is maintaining modernization. And the most visible symbol of the change and the subsequent economic boom in Asia in the second half of the 20th century is the skyscraper, represented by a myriad of styles while maintaining one decisive characteristic - immeasurable height.
The Jin Mao Building was designed by the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), a venerable and experienced supplier of corporate architecture, which, like many other firms, helps to elevate its Asian clientele from third place in the world rankings to first. Jin Mao, although better than many others, points to the possible problems of newly emerging superstructures.
Skyscrapers play a significant symbolic role in their ever-growing stature. Some of the tallest recently have been rising in China, Indonesia, and Malaysia - in countries that have little experience in building gigantic structures but are hungry for monuments of their prosperity. And it is foreign architects who are being solicited to create future worlds. These firms, especially SOM, bring an unmatched ability in designing these megastructures. Since Jin Mao is built on sand with an absence of bedrock, an advanced structure is erected around a central reinforced concrete core. This ensures protection against typhoons and earthquakes typical to this region.
The stylized stainless steel and glass facade echoes projects on the shores of Shanghai, a district known for its Art Deco style. Jin Mao is adorned at the upper levels to evoke traditional Chinese pagodas. Thousands of wooden and brick pagodas built in honor of Buddha are still scattered across the slopes of mountains today. Jin Mao does not need the slopes of mountains, as it soars to a height of 421 meters above the city. This dizzying verticality is somewhat tempered by a six-story arcade of shops and services. Offices occupy the first fifty floors, and the five-star Grand Hyatt hotel is located in the upper 38 floors.
Structural assessment invites a contemporary debate on the questions of buildings from Asian conglomerates. Can foreigners interpret a culture that is unfamiliar to them? Can architects even design their proposals without knowledge of the surroundings of the object? Yet, the buildings of Woolworth and Chicago Tribune, commercialized versions of Gothic cathedrals, have become typical landmarks in two cities worlds apart from medieval Europe. César Pelli believes that the Eiffel Tower could easily represent everything British if it had been built in London instead of Paris. Only time will tell whether the Jin Mao Building will symbolize the spirit of a new China.
However, the most urgent question is how the Jin Mao Building and other gigantic superstructures will integrate into the existing Chinese infrastructure. The authoritative communist government has defined five "special economic zones," which are being built without any restrictions. Although Shanghai is filled with investments in new bridges, highways, and metro systems, skyscrapers will undoubtedly increase the already shocking overload of infrastructure. Jin Mao is equipped with racks for 1,000 bicycles, the most popular mode of transportation for the Chinese.
The client's requirement was that the building's design reference the number eight, a lucky number for the Chinese. The crown of Jin Mao touches the heavens at 88 stories - double the luck.
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