Raffles City Chongqing

Raffles City Chongqing
重庆来福士广场
Raffles City Chongqing in September 2019
Interactive map of the Raffles City Chongqing area
General information
StatusOpened
Architectural styleHigh-tech architecture
LocationChina, No.18, Xinyi Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China
Construction started2013 approx.
Topped-outJanuary 2019
CompletedAugust 2019
Opened6 September 2019
Height
Height354.5 meters
Technical details
MaterialReinforced concrete and steel
Floor count67
Floor area1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectMoshe Safdie
DeveloperCapitaLand
Raffles City Chongqing
Simplified Chinese重庆来福士广场
Traditional Chinese重慶來福士廣場
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChóngqìng Láifúshì Guǎngchǎng

Raffles City Chongqing is a complex of eight buildings in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China, developed by Singaporean real estate developer CapitaLand and constructed by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group Co. Ltd.

Raffles City Chongqing features a 300-metre-long horizontal skybridge called the "Crystal" that connects the top of four of the skycrapers.[1] The skybridge is the second highest in the world after the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The entire project comprises eight towers with a total of 817,000 square metres of floor space. It was designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie.[2] It is one of the most expensive buildings built in China. It replaced the 32-story passenger terminal building and hotel built in 1996 and the Three Gorges Hotel that was demolished on August 30, 2012.

Timeline

Construction began around 2013.[3] As of February 2019, the structures had been completed and the interior was being finished.

Overview

Raffles City Chongqing consists of eight skyscrapers situated on a site covering 9.2 hectares, in Yuzhong District, at the tip of the peninsula where the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers meet.

Atop four of the 250-metre-tall towers is an enclosed skyway, called the Crystal.[4] Two 350-metre-tall towers connect to them, each via a cantilever bridge. Two other 250-metre-tall towers are adjacent to these six.

The project contains 1.12 million square metres of space, 817,000 square metres of which is floor space and includes 150,000m2 of office space and 1,400 residences, a hotel, a 235,000m2 shopping mall, and landscaped grounds.[5][3]

The buildings are reinforced concrete with concrete-encased steel columns and steel floor spanning. The height to tip is 354.5 metres with 79 above-ground floors and 3 below.[6]

The Crystal

The Crystal is an enclosed 300-metre-long horizontal skyway that sits atop four of the buildings. The exterior consists of approximately 3,000 glass panels and nearly 5,000 aluminum panels. The Crystal set a record as the highest skybridge in the world linking the most number of towers. It includes an observation deck, park, restaurants, and a private clubhouse. [7]

Design and recognition

The project was designed by architect Moshe Safdie, who also designed Singapore's similar-looking Marina Bay Sands.[8] It was inspired by Chinese sailing vessels and is a tribute to Chongqing's historical past as a trading centre.[5]

Raffles City Chongqing won the China Tall Building Innovation Award.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Safdie Architects". www.safdiearchitects.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ Hardingham-Gill, Tamara (27 February 2019). "China's 'horizontal skyscraper' attraction nears completion". CNN Travel. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b Emeche, Chika (27 February 2019). "China's amazing horizontal skyscraper at Raffles City Chongqing nears completion". Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. ^ "CapitaLand announces topping out of Raffles City Chongqing; says on track to open by 2H19". The Edge Singapore. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "CapitaLand tops out China's Raffles City Chongqing with highest sky bridge - World Construction Network". www.worldconstructionnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Raffles City Chongqing T3N - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  7. ^ Wong, Maggie Hiufu (2020-06-09). "Glass-bottom deck opens atop China's 'horizontal skyscraper'". CNN. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  8. ^ "Marina Bay Sands 2.0? Moshe Safdie Designs New Raffles City Chongqing". 22 March 2019.

29°34′05″N 106°35′02″E / 29.568180°N 106.583766°E / 29.568180; 106.583766