The Shanghai Tower is a skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. It was designed by the American architectural firm Gensler, with lead designer Jun Xia serving as the project’s design director. He oversaw the entire design process from concept to completion, working closely with the client, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure the project’s success.
Xia was responsible for the tower’s unique twisting form, which he designed to optimize the building’s structural performance and environmental sustainability. The twisting shape of the tower was intended to reduce wind loads, which can be particularly intense at such heights, and to improve the building’s energy efficiency by allowing for more natural light to enter the interior spaces.
Xia also played a key role in the selection of materials and construction techniques for the tower, choosing double-layered glass curtain walls to insulate the building and reduce energy consumption. He worked closely with engineers to develop a system of 980 piles driven into the ground to support the tower’s foundation, and he oversaw the installation of a tuned mass damper to help stabilize the building in high winds.
Throughout the design process, Xia remained focused on creating a tower that was not only functional and sustainable but also beautiful and iconic. He sought to create a building that would become a symbol of Shanghai’s spirit of progress and innovation, and his design has achieved that goal, with the Shanghai Tower now recognized as one of the most impressive and innovative skyscrapers in the world.