The developer of the planned new world's tallest building, Sky City, is one step closer to making the colossal structure reality. Broad Sustainable Building has received government approvals to build the 2,749-foot, 220-story tower in Changsha, China. The Building Team will begin site work next month, according to Treehugger.com.
As its name suggests, Sky City is designed to be a fully functional city, complete with residential units for 4,450 families, schools, offices, a hospital, recreational spaces, theaters, hotel rooms, and nearly a million sf of vertical farms. In all, the tower will house 11 million sf of live, work, and play spaces. Apartments will range from 645 sf to more than 5,000 sf.
A six-mile-long ramp will link the entire structure, allowing occupants to move from floor to floor without taking one of the building's 92 elevators. The design also incorporates more than 50 courtyards that will house shared community spaces, such as basketball and tennis courts, swimming pools, and parks.
The program is certainly impressive in size and scale, but the most eye-popping fact about the project is construction schedule. By employing extensive prefabrication, the skyscraper will be assembled in just three months. As Treehugger's Lloyd Alter describes: "The Broad system is based on prefabricated floor panels that ship with everything need to go 3D packed along with it, so they are not shipping a lot of air. It all just bolts together. Broad claims that by building this way, they eliminate construction waste, lost time managing trades, keep tight cost control and can build at a cost 50% to 60% less than conventional construction."
Check out renderings and plans for the project:
Related Stories
Contractors | Aug 4, 2017
4 ways to prepare for a negotiation
Practice, practice, practice, and understanding both sides of the deliberation are critical to success in any negotiation.
Laboratories | Aug 3, 2017
Today’s university lab building by the numbers
A three-month study of science facilities conducted by Shepley Bulfinch reveals key findings related to space allocation, size, and cost.
Lighting | Aug 2, 2017
Dynamic white lighting mimics daylighting
By varying an LED luminaire’s color temperature, it is possible to mimic daylighting, to some extent, and the natural circadian rhythms that accompany it, writes DLR Group’s Sean Avery.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 2, 2017
8 healthcare design lessons from shadowing a nurse
From the surprising number of “hunting and gathering” trips to the need for quiet spaces for phone calls, interior designer Carolyn Fleetwood Blake shares her takeaways from a day shadowing a nurse.
Sponsored | Architects | Aug 2, 2017
Are visual ergonomics the new key to project delivery?
An Australian Home Theater Company is out to prove that the easier you can see it, the easier you can sell it.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 27, 2017
Apartment market index: Business conditions soften, but still solid
Despite some softness at the high end of the apartment market, demand for apartments will continue to be substantial for years to come, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 27, 2017
Game rooms and game simulators popular amenities in multifamily developments
The number of developments providing space for physical therapy was somewhat surprising, according to a new survey.
Building Enclosure Systems | Jul 26, 2017
Balcony and roof railings and the code: Maintain, repair, or replace? [AIA course]
Lacking familiarity with current requirements, some owners or managers complete a roof or balcony rehabilitation, only to learn after the fact that they need to tear noncompliant railings out of their new roof or terrace and install new ones.
Office Buildings | Jul 26, 2017
Meeting space leads to innovation
PDR Principal Larry Lander explains how to design for workplaces where four generations are working together.
Architects | Jul 25, 2017
AIA 2030 Commitment expands beyond 400 architecture firms
The 2016 Progress Report is now available.