The world’s highest sightseeing hall, located on the 100th floor of China’s tallest skyscraper, have opend today!

 The hall is 474 metres (1,555 feet) above the ground in the Shanghai World Financial Centre, the Oriental Morning Post reported Tuesday.

Sightseers who want a bird’s eye view of the city will have to pay 150 yuan (22 dollars) each for the experience, it said.

Shanghai World Financial Center

Shanghai World Financial Center

The building, finished earlier this year but not yet open to the public, has 101 floors for a total height of 492 metres, making it the tallest in China.

As well as the observation deck, the building will also have a luxury hotel, shops and 70 floors of office space, the centre’s website says.

Until now, the highest similar venue has been the Sky Pod of the CN Tower in Toronto, at 447 metres high

more about Shanghai world financial center

  The foundation stone was laid on August 27, 1997

- In the late 90’s the Japanese Mori Building Corporation had a fund shortage caused by the Asian financial crisis, this halted the project after the foundations were completed.

- On February 13, 2003, the Mori Group increased the buildings height to 492 meters and 101 stories from the initial plans for a 460-meter, 94 story building.

- The Shanghai World Financial Center was planned to be the tallest building in the world when it was designed in 1997. The 97 Story building would surpass the spires of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. When Construction was restarted in 2003, the 508 Meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan was already underway to becoming the World’s Tallest Building. Plans where changed but the Tower couldn’t be built any higher than its present height at 492 meters since the already done foundation was meant to support a 460 meter tall building.

- The structure features 3 floors of underground parking, shops and a conference center on floors 1 through 5, offices on floors 7 through 77, a hotel located on floors 79 through 93, and finally observation and exhibition areas on floors 94 through 100.

- To protect the building from fierce winds, the Shanghai World Financial Center holds two tuned mass dampers below its observation floors to reduce the building’s sway during windstorms and earthquakes.

- After the events of September 11th, 2001, the building was redesigned to withstand a disaster such as a plane crash including 12 fireproof refugee areas, and two external elevators.

- The trapezoidal hole atop the Tower was originally a sphere, designs where changed after the Chinese Government made claims in 2005 that the Japanese Funded Building’s circular hole was too similar to the rising sun on Japan’s Flag.

- The observation bridge atop the building will be the highest outdoor observation deck in the world.

- On August 14th, 2007 a few of the upper floors caught on fire during construction, the blaze was put out and nobody was hurt.

- The final steel girder of the building was installed on September 14th, 2007 when the building reached its full height of 492 meters.

- At 480 meters the Shanghai World Financial Center is the second tallest building in the world as of 2008. It is 16 meters shorter than the 508 meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan, although this is because of the spire atop Taipei 101. Counting by roof height the Shanghai World Financial Center is a full 44 meters taller than Taipei 101.

- Inaugurated August 28, 2008.
 

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