Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed crystalline tower breaks ground in southwestern China

Construction is under way on the Greenland Tower Chengdu, a 468-meter-high crystalline skyscraper in Chengdu, China, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

When built, it will be the tallest building in southwestern China, surpassing Chengdu's current tallest buildings by more than 200 meters.

The multi-faceted glass tower was inspired by “the unique ice mountain topography around Chengdu,” the firm said. Plans indicate that inset LED lighting on the edges of the faceted glass will give viewers the impression of a shimmering glacier. The tower will thereby act as a light sculpture for the city of Chengdu.

The project is set for completion in 2018. It is part of a larger complex comprised of the main tower, two smaller towers, and a six-story podium. Office, retail, and residential space will all be included in these buildings, according to Next Big Future.

"The architecture and structure marry perfectly," the firm said in a statement. "The design fully considers the structural requirements of supertall buildings in a high seismic zone, using a geometrical plan, a tapered form, and a high-performance damper bracing system to ensure the structure’s stability and efficiency."

Glass is heat-treated for two reasons: the first is to increase its strength to resist external stresses such as wind and snow loads, or thermal loads caused by the sun’s energy. The second is to temper glass so that it meets safety glazing requirements defined by applicable codes or federal standards.

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Metal Construction Association introduces two Environmental Product Declarations

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Bluebeam Software launches Revu 12 for better field-ready document management and project collaboration

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PocketCake's VRSCA (for Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly) is three

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PocketCake lunches CPU designed for virtual reality simulations

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Photos courtesy Blackney Hayes Architects

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Adaptive reuse project brings school into historic paper mill

The project features nontraditional classrooms for collaborative learning, an arts and music wing, and a technologically sophisticated global resource center.

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Use this app to streamline safety inspections

Using the iAuditor app, one of our Skanska teams developed electronic reports that make safety inspections more efficient, and that make it easier to address any issues emerging from them.