The Shanghai Tower is one of our newer exhibits in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market. Since it is new, many of you probably did not see it when you last visited the gallery, so I thought I would blog about it. At 632 meters (128 stories) when it is completed in 2014, the Shanghai Tower will be China's tallest building, and second tallest in the world. (Only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai will be taller.)

The tower is part of a 3 building set that represent the past (Jin Mao Building), present (Shanghai World Financial Center), and future (Shanghai Tower).

The teams involved in its construction include:

• Gensler // more
• The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tongji University // more
• Thorton Tomasetti // more
• Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd. // more

Some of the computer aided design applications that play a part in the process include:

• AutoCAD Architecture // more
• Autodesk Revit Architecture // more
• Autodesk 3ds Max // more
• Autodesk Ecotect Analysis // more
• CSI SAP2000
• Rhino3D

When you can't go out, go up. The Shanghai Tower is an example of a vertical city. The building consists of eight stacked neighborhoods. Each neighborhood features an open-air public park with 14 stories of living space above each park. The public park is on the first floor of each neighborhood and its atrium spans the 14 floors at the building's center. There are 2 floors between each neighborhood.

Using wind tunnel and simulation analyses, the Shanghai Tower has been optimized for performance and sustainability. The result of what has been termed "performance design," its asymmetrical facade, tapering shape, and consistently rounded corners help reduce wind loads on the building by 24%. This design resulted in an estimated savings of $57,000,000 in construction costs. Its twisting shape facilitates the collection of rain water for the A/C and heating units. Its double-skin facade insulates to reduce energy consumption. Fifty-four wind turbines in the parapet of the building help create electricity. The footprint of the tower is two-thirds green spaces. The bottom floor features multi-use retail and event space with plenty of entrances and exits. The Shanghai Tower represents a future filled with opportunity.

The Shanghai Tower is just one of many exhibits in the gallery. The gallery is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us.

Acting as a virtual docent is alive in the lab.