Second tallest building in China completed

Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, a major city in China’s Guangdong province, is officially complete, according to the criteria established by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). At 599 metres (1,965 feet), it is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest in China, and the fourth tallest in the world, behind only the Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower and Makkah Royal Clock Tower.

Designed by the US firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the 115-storey skyscraper rises from a prominent location in the heart of Shenzhen’s Futian District. A large public atrium at its base creates a new destination for the district with stores, restaurants and transit connections to the city, the Pearl River Delta region and greater China. Above the hyper-connected podium, the tower features state-of-the-art office space for owners Ping An Life Insurance Company and other tenants.

The shape of the tower is that of a taut steel cable, outstretched by the sky and the ground at once. At the top of the tower, the facade tapers to form a pyramid, giving the tower a prismatic aesthetic. The form is emphasised by eight composite mega-columns that extrude beyond the building envelope. This design is not only visually appealing, but also practical. The streamlined shape of the tower improves both structural and wind performance, reducing baseline wind loads by 35%.

 The facade of Ping An Finance Center is one of its most important features. The tower is adorned by the largest stainless steel facade in the world to date, using a total of 1,700 tons of 316L stainless steel. This
material was chosen specifically for the project due to its corrosion-resistance qualities, which will keep the appearance of the building unchanged for several decades despite Shenzhen’s salty coastal atmosphere.