Shanghai Tower was designed by Gensler with a curved and twisted form generated through a series of wind-tunnel tests, expected to reduce wind load by as much as 24 per cent during typhoons.
It comprises 121 storeys, divided into nine vertical zones that include shops at the base, offices in the centre, and hotels, cultural facilities and observation decks at the top.
Each zone is organised around one of several "sky lobbies" – plant-filled atriums filled with natural light, designed to mimic the social environments traditionally created in town plazas and courtyards.