Shanghai Tower as a Mirror of IT-revolution

Substantial completion of Shanghai Tower was announced at the beginning of August. The highest artificially created point of China is located in the central part of Pudong business-district in Shanghai. Qing Ge, supervising engineer and assistant general manager of Shanghai Tower Development told us about the innovative technologies used in the design and erection of the Tower.

What processes are under way in the construction business of China, to what extent is it being transformed? Is there a shift to new technologies in the sphere of construction design?

Building sector plays a vital role in the technological revolution of the country, which has been going on for more than 30 years. Now we can witness a revolutionary transition from traditional design and building methods to information technologies, among which Building Information Modeling (BIM) holds a special place.

Are BIM technologies mandatory in China, especially in state projects?

There are no standards and mechanisms of BIM technology implementation in China yet. But the initial stage of building information modeling popularization is already in progress. Notably in Shanghai, this technology is actively promoted in the realization of governmental projects. Chinese government is starting to introduce BIM application standards, and the construction of Shanghai Tower helped to create a set of standard requirements for future state regulations.

Can you please tell us, what other famous Chinese skyscrapers were designed and built using BIM?

There are such examples: BIM technologies were applied in project development and construction of a 580-meter tower in Beijing, with a fairly high level of specification. By way of experiment information modeling tools are used in the construction of a building over 600 meters high in Shenzhen. Now in China there are over 10 projects of skyscrapers around 600 meters high, the development of which is to a greater or lesser degree carried out with the help of BIM technology, however in Shanghai Tower project they are used extensively and due to this it was worked out in minute detail.

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Text by Oleg Danaev, photos courtesy of Shanghai Tower Development and Autodesk Consulting