China's Sky City world's tallest by end-2013?

The 838-metre pre-fabricated ‘Sky City’ in Changsha, China, will become the world’s tallest tower by year-end?

Some media reports are suggesting that work on the project will commence in June with the tower standing tall by end of 2013. However, when Emirates 24/7 sought confirmation from Broad Sustainable Building (BSB), the developer of the tower, a senior company executive remained noncommittal, stating, “We have no news to release about the Sky City.”

The tower will be 10 metres higher than 828-metre Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, in Dubai, UAE.

In the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat London conference, Broad Group Chairman Zhang Yue will outline plans outline plans for Sky City and the motivations behind creating this vertical urban habitat.

So is it then, we are all likely to hear of when the project will break ground?

This website reported earlier that a short film posted by BSB on Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat website revealed the tower, which will be completed in seven months, will have a garden on the top most floor and open terraces.

BSB had earlier planned to build the tower in three months.

However, a senior company executive told this website that construction is unlikely to start until a clearance from the government is received.

In November, BSB told ‘The Malay Mail’ that the 838-metre-high tower would be built in mere 90 days and completed by March 2013.

The new video reveals that the tower will be 202 floors, with 1.05 million square metre space and can withstand a of 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

Sky City will be fireproof resistant for up to three hours and have 10 fire escape routes for evacuation of a floor within 15 minutes during an emergency. It will also have 15cm thermal insulators, four paned windows, fresh air heat recovery system, non-electric air conditioners, cooling-heating power system and LED lighting.

The tower will use BSB modular technology which features 95 per cent factory prefabrication with a construction pace of five storeys a day. The projected cost is pegged at Dh2.35 billion and will be able to house 31,400 people.

Emporis data reveals Dubai has 1,881 buildings of which 856 exist, 627 planned, 355 under construction, 42 unbuilt and one demolished. Overall, there are 909 high-rises and 448 skyscrapers.

The UAE is ranked third as the country having most buildings taller than 200 metres. China and the United States hold the first and second positions, respectively.
 

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